BRUNI, FEDOR (1799-1875) Mother of God with the Eternal Child Oil on cardboard, 69.5 by 47 cm. Provenance: Important private collection, Europe. Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V. Petrov. Authenticity has also been confirmed by the expert A. Pogodina. Fedor Bruni is one of the most illustrious masters of the Russian academic art. The conclusion of classicism in Russia is connected to none other than him, the creator of the epic canvas The Brazen Serpent (1841). Precision of drawing, lucid and vibrant colours, and perfection of composition are hallmarks of this unique painter, one of the leaders of Russian art in the mid-19th century. Bruni’s works are easily recognisable and imbued with extraordinary charm and appealing quality. The artist created his own type of the Mother of God, which became his personal ‘canon’ of sorts, a singular trait of his work. The work presented in this catalogue, Mother of God with the Eternal Child, is one of the earliest examples of this composition, created by Fedor Bruni during his first lengthy stay in Italy in the mid-1830s. Every centimetre of this precious work is painted with endless love and attention, from the poignant faces of the Virgin and the infant to the most delicate translucent glazes of the fabrics and the background. In this seemingly ordinary subject for religious painting the artist has managed to communicate an extraordinarily ‘earthly’ warmth, joy, and light melancholy of the Mother of God’s motherhood, the ingenuous charm and entrancing beauty of the child. The system of contrasting colour blocks used in this work, characteristic of this painter, make this piece a unique signature card of the oeuvre of a great master, whom Fedor Bruni undoubtedly was.