41 - 18TH-CENTURY ITALIAN PAINTER

18TH-CENTURY ITALIAN PAINTER MADONNA AND CHILD WITH SAINT CLARE Oil on canvas, 24 x 18.5 cm. Gilded and carved wooden frame, 18th century. This painting bears a striking resemblance to the Madonna and Child with Saint Clare housed in Isola del Liri (Frosinone), listed in the General Catalog of Cultural Heritage under no. 00516298. The two works share a substantial similarity in their compositional structure, gestures, and the relationships between the figures: Saint Clare with the monstrance on the left, the Child in the center with an outstretched arm, and the Virgin on the right. The differences in detail—including the presence of the dove of the Holy Spirit in our example—constitute variations on the same artistic concept. The close compositional and stylistic similarities suggest that the two paintings, despite their variations, were likely painted by the same artist. Comparison: General Catalog of Cultural Heritage, no. 00516298, Isola del Liri (FR). CONDITION REPORT 20th-century re-framing; no notable restorative interventions are visible; traces of an old topcoat; excellent state of preservation.