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 Emilian School, second half of XIV century. Blessed Virgin of the Grazie, painting on tablet at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Grazie, Curtatone. |
The holy image of the Blessed Virgin of the Grazie, with the original lineaments still visible despite the restoration works carried out and the subsequent modifications made, represents the oldest work of art held within the Sanctuary. The composition is inspired by the Byzantine tradition of the Madonna "Eleusa" - an image of tenderness depicted with the Child Jesus held tight to the heart of Our Lady, cheek to cheek, stroking his face. The Virgin is dressed in a cape of precious oriental fabric, decorated with roses and cockerels in a lively heraldic configuration. As is well known, the rose is the symbolic flower of Maria, and the cockerel is the Christian symbol of reawakening. Despite having been repainted, as clearly seen both by the stylistic inconsistencies of the somatic lines, especially of the hands and eyes, the figures of the Virgin and Child reveal the implicitly compositional and plastic tenacity of the end of the third quarter of the thirteenth century, and particularly to the most sophisticated artistic expressions of the school of Emilia. The face of the Child Jesus, round, full and lively, recalls some of the works of Tommaso of Modena, such as the Madonna with Child with the trptych of Karlstein (1358-65). The table in the background is decorated with sinuous "ramesini" which evokes several images of precious miniatures from the Emilian school of the XVI century. If this hypothesis were to be confirmed by x-rays and other tests, then we would have the certainty of finding the holy icon in the original small chapel, when the presence of a temple was voted in 1399.
The favours granted by the Holy Divinity transformed the Sanctuary into place of devote figurative testimonies, that vary in their nature and quality according to the culture, the means and the intentions of the commissioner. The effigies of the Virgin assume different characteristics and abandon the traditional of reference to correspond with the rich tradition of the iconography Mariana. The oldest of the chapels which was added to the original nave of the church was commissioned by the writer Bonamente Aliprandi. A beautiful marble plaque bearing the family coat-of arms records its foundation in 1415. Here two effigies of the Madonna of humility were found.
 Reconstruction of the original votive shrine in the area of the Upper Lake (Lago Superiore). |
And are still conserved despite a sudden fall from the walls. In both images, Our Lady is depicted in the open, sitting on a cushion placed inside the hortus conclusus. The garden is lined with bushes that symbolise the heavenly purity of Maria. Inside a rectangular frame the Madonna adoring the Child is depicted reflecting the methods used by Stefano of Verona or, more correctly , the Veronese interpretation of his form of language. The sinuous and slender figure, the elaborate drapes, the carefree and natural expression of the Child Jesus sleeping at the feet of the Holy Mother, his head resting on her arm, have lead to a change of the dating of the work towards the third or fourth decade of the 14th century. The subject depicted in the sleep of the Child Jesus is the death of Christ, which can be seen by observing the sad lowered face held by Our Lady. The other image, inscribed in a circular rainbow frame, is of the Madonna with the Child Jesus and an Angel: seated on a large cushion, with a full figure and a round face with the lines drawn with precise rigour, the image appears to be more similar to the figurative search of the Lombard school than that of the school of Verona.
Texts taken from the book:
"L'arte colta" Edited by Ugo Bazzotti
"Mira il tuo popolo" Ed.Lubiam-Rizzoli 1999
