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The Virgin Mary, in white, places her hand in Saint Joseph's while the dove of the Holy Ghost hovers above the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem. The high priest joins the couple in matrimony, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Mary's virginal companions on the right are balanced by her disappointed suitors in exotic headgear on the left. In the front left a young woman holding a toddler looks on, though he is more interested in the small dog which has joined the ceremony.This jewel-like painting on copper, with its complex composition and glowing colours, is characteristic of Ludovico Carracci's early works. It may well have been made for the Bolognese collector and patron Alessandro Tanari to commemorate his marriage to Diana Barbieri on 13 January 1589.
Title
The Marriage of the Virgin
Date
about 1590
Medium
Oil on copper
Measurements
H 41.3 x W 32.4 cm
Accession number
NG6595
Acquisition method
Accepted by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to the National Gallery, 2003
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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