1609 -1685 · Sassoferrato, Rome and classical devotion

Collected virgins, smooth and luminous blue skin tones make Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato, the master of a deliberately clear and timeless devotion.

Giovanni Battista Salvi was born in 1609 in Sassoferrato, in Marche, the city whose name he adopted. He received his first lessons from his father, the painter Tarquinio Salvi, then completed his training in Umbria before reaching Rome. In the papal capital, he observed Raphael, Perugino and the masters of the first 16th century, while assimilating the clarity of Domenichino and Guido Reni. In an era dominated by the Baroque movement, Sassoferrato deliberately chose a calmer and archaic language. He specializes in devotional images: Virgin in Prayer, Virgin and Child, Sassoferrato deliberately chose a calmer and archaic language. He specializes in devotional images: Virgin in Prayer, Virgin and Child, Holy Family and isolated saints. The compositions are often repeated in several versions for meet an important demand, but each is based on precise execution. Dark background, light skin, white veil and blue coat produce immediate readability. Hands clasped, eyelids lowered and gestures measured invite silent contemplation. His work is, however, not a simple imitation of the past. The clear light, the intensity of the ultramarine blue and the almost tactile proximity of the figures give his Madonnas a presence specific to the 17th century. However, he also created monumental altarpieces and some portraits, particularly for ecclesiastical sponsors. His drawings, long less known, bear witness to a careful study of the figure and numerous preparatory variants. Active in Rome for most of his career, then again in Umbria and probably in Florence, Sassoferrato died in 1685. The lasting success of his images lies in their balance between Raphaelesque ideal, formal purity and intimate feeling. The selection "Giovanni Battista Salvi" notably compares The Annunciation and The Holy Family. His reading favors the material.

Sassoferrato suspends the story to keep only the presence: a white veil, a deep blue and a lowered gaze become an architecture of contemplation.