Niccolò Berrettoni (Macerata Feltria, 1637 – Rome, 1682) Madonna and Child with Angels Oil on copper, 26 x 20.5 cm The small copper plate – a support favored for devotional painting in the 16th and 17th centuries for its smooth surface and vibrant chromatic rendering – depicts the Virgin seated in an open landscape, holding the Child Jesus while an angel holds a processional cross and putti appear above among the foliage. The reduced size and preciousness of the support suggest a private destination, perhaps for a cabinet or a domestic oratory. The composition belongs to the great Roman tradition of the late 17th century, headed by Carlo Maratta, of whom Niccolò Berrettoni was one of the most sensitive interpreters. Arriving in Rome around 1670 after an early training in Pesaro under Simone Cantarini, Berrettoni entered Maratta's workshop and in 1675 was admitted to the Academy of Saint Luke. Among his major works are the frescoes for Villa Cattani Stuart with the cycle of Aurora, where elongated figures against pink-streaked skies reveal a luminous and refined classicism. The comparison with the larger version on canvas preserved in the British National Trust is decisive for the attribution. The compositional structure is the same – Virgin in the center, Child on her lap, a small figure offering the cross – with some differences. This is not a simple copy: Berrettoni freely reinterpreted the composition for the precious format of copper, simplifying the narrative and intensifying the affective tenderness of the scene.
