Painting of Our Lady of Sorrows with Christ on the Cross

Artist: Attributed to Scipione Manni (enlarged and with the addition of figures from the 20th century) 

Commissioned by:

Date: 18th century

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

Provenance: Former private chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows (Addolorata) 

The canvas forms the altarpiece of the original family chapel from which the present place of worship developed, and which today corresponds to the sacristy. The work’s present configuration is the result of an enlargement carried out in the early 20th century, intended to adapt the painting to the larger dimensions of the new church nave. On that occasion, two figures — two of which likely identifiable as Mary Magdalene and Saint John the Evangelist — were added at the margins of the original composition. These additions, attributable to an anonymous painter of the local milieu, are clearly distinguishable in both execution and figurative language, appearing foreign to the compositional conception and stylistic character of the earlier work.

The original layer depicts Our Lady of Sorrows at the foot of the Cross at the culminating moment of Christ’s death, captured in the act of yielding His spirit. The darkening of the sun and the deepening gloom of the sky visually translate the Gospel narrative, heightening the emotional tension of the scene in accordance with a well‑established Counter‑Reformation iconography of the Crucifixion. During a recent restoration, a view of the dome of St Peter’s Basilica re‑emerged in the background—previously concealed by overpainting and subsequent alterations—an element that restored an important component of the original iconographic conception.

The work can plausibly be attributable to Scipio Manni (Palermo, 1705 – Milazzo, 1770), one of the principal interpreters of late Baroque painting in the Messina area. The proposed attribution is based on a series of significant stylistic and morphological correspondences with the artist’s catalogue. The face of the Virgin, defined through careful chiaroscuro modelling, reveals an expressive intent marked by composed and measured pathos, accentuated by the subtle tear running down her cheek; this refined physiognomic definition contrasts with the simpler rendering of the joined hands, a recurring characteristic in the painter’s technique. Further points of comparison include the peculiar anatomical structure of the foot—with the big toe noticeably shorter than the other toes, a recurring feature in Manni’s production—as well as the inclusion of St Peter’s Basilica in the background, an explicit reference to Rome and an iconographic motif documented in other works by the artist.

The 20th‑century enlargement significantly altered the perception of the altarpiece, modifying its original format and compromising its art-historical legibility. The subsequent placement of the papier‑mâché processional statue on the main altar further contributed to the loss of memory regarding the painting’s liturgical function. Only in the early 21st century, following a meticulous restoration, was the work recovered from a conservation standpoint and returned to devotional use, while also allowing for a more accurate critical reassessment of its stylistic features and conservation history.

attribution by Domenico Le Donne