Virgin Standing on Clouds Holding a Scapular in Her Left Hand 1675 - 1741

Curator: The delicacy is striking; a study in ink on toned paper attributed to Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, created sometime between 1675 and 1741. It depicts the Virgin Standing on Clouds, holding a scapular. Editor: It does have a dreamlike, almost ethereal quality. The lightness of the line work gives her an ephemeral presence. How interesting, also, that it's just a sketch, a moment caught on paper. Curator: Precisely. These types of drawings are crucial for understanding the baroque era workshop practices. We get a glimpse into Pellegrini’s creative process, the methods he employed to refine compositions before committing them to a larger-scale painting or fresco. Notice the economy of line and the subtle washes; he used them to suggest form and texture efficiently. Editor: I’m curious about the choice to portray the Virgin with a scapular. Considering the social climate of the period, what kind of relationship with institutions, religious or otherwise, does it reflect, and what impact would such an image have in a context steeped in faith, belief, but also, perhaps, some form of struggle? What did the access to the artwork require then? Curator: That’s an insightful observation. The inclusion of the scapular directly relates to the lay confraternities and their devotion. The distribution of scapulars by religious orders offered tangible participation, uniting diverse social classes through accessible devotional objects, usually textiles. Its presence suggests not just religious piety, but social and economic ties to specific communities of faith and possibly the commissioning structures in place at the time the artwork was being created. Editor: So, it functions as both a spiritual symbol and a marker of collective identity and even possibly points toward access and material interactions! These objects can serve as potent signifiers of belonging, a visual assertion of shared values, that may in a way undermine notions of high art vs folk art. I find myself reflecting on the function and the many lives it touched during and after the moment of creation. Curator: It is a small glimpse into a world of production and material faith. Editor: Indeed; and from that perspective, these small scale intimate artworks such as this ink on toned paper by Pellegrini serve as great social artifacts.