Saint Anthony of Padua with the Infant Christ

Artist: Giuseppe Bazzani (Duchy of Mantua, 1690 - 1769)

Original Dimensions: 33 1/2" x 27 1/8"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (Probably 1740-50) "Saint Anthony of Padua, wearing the grey habit of the Franciscan Order to which he belonged, stands before the infant Christ. A white lily, Saint Anthony’s attribute, lies at Christ’s feet and the saint splays his hands in a gesture of adoration as Christ reaches out to embrace him. The Christ Child’s upturned feet and flying drapery indicate that he is floating, not standing. Saint Anthony had a vision of Christ appearing on his open book – its pages are roughly sketched here. The vaporous brushwork, which creates this painting’s hazy atmosphere, is typical of Bazzani’s technique. The paint is swiftly applied and Bazzani’s colours are subdued. The light, flickering brushwork is inspired by Venetian eighteenth-century artists like Francesco Guardi, whose atmospheric effects of light and colour Bazzani emulated, and when the painting was presented to the National Gallery in 1922 it was attributed to the Venetian painter Jacopo Amigoni." - (National Gallery of Art, London)