Madonna and Child with Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Luigi Gonzaga

The painter from Verona Giambettino Cignaroli was commissioned to paint the altar-piece by the Jesuits of Vicenza, for the high altar of their church in Contra’ Riale. In 1773, after the order was suppressed, the building was razed to the ground and the palace of Carlo Cordellina was built on the site. From that date onward, the work became part of the Cordellina collection and it was only later, around 1834, that it appeared among the paintings belonging to the Civic Art Gallery collection.

Painted in 1755, it depicts the Virgin holding her Son on her knee, sitting on a soft cloud under a canopy decorated with floral patterns. The Child’s hand rests tenderly on the head of Saint Luigi Gonzaga, who is kneeling humbly in adoration. On the left of the painting, in a foreshortened view, appears the much more realistic and expressive figure of Saint Ignatius whose head is turned towards the Madonna, raising his eyes from the worn book of spiritual exercises that he is able to hold only thanks to the collaboration of a small putto.

The calibrated layout of the work, the balanced distribution of the characters, the skilful orchestration of the colours, mainly cold, and of the light and dark tones, as well as the attitudes and studied gestures of the figures, all contribute to give the painting "a solemn atmosphere, which crystallises the characters in a timeless dimension" (Tosato).