Bologna, 1648 -1729 · Ideal clarity and last communion

After forty-seven years in the desert, Mary the Egyptian receives the Eucharist from the priest Zosimus: Franceschini condenses a life of asceticism in a calm and luminous gesture.

Marcantonio Franceschini was born and died in Bologna between 1648 and 1729. Trained in the environment of Carlo Cignani, he developed an art seeking clarity of expression and an idealized humanity adapted to religious and mythological stories. The Last Communion of Saint Mary the Egyptian, painted in 1680 in oil on copper, measures 42.5 × 54.3 cm. According to tradition, this 5th century ascetic receives the Eucharist from the hands of the priest Zosimus after forty-seven years of isolation in the Palestinian desert. Franceschini does not overload the moment: gestures, looks and light make the encounter immediately readable. The painting had as its counterpart an Ecstasy of Saint Mary Magdalene. In 1709, both works were offered to Pope Clement XI by the Senate of Bologna, which hoped for its support in the founding of an art academy in the city. The "Marcantonio Franceschini" selection notably compares The Last Communion of Saint Mary of Egypt. Its reading favors composition.

All the asceticism of the desert gathers in the small host received on the threshold of death.