SEBASTIANO CONCA (Gaeta, 1680 - Naples, 1764) Mary Magdalene Oil on canvas, 46X35 cm Inscribed on the frame: Schedoni, From the Loggia Gallery, Rome Provenance: Italy, private collection The canvas presented here is a significant testimony to the talent and cosmopolitan culture attained by Sebastiano Conca during his maturity. A pupil of Francesco Solimena in Naples, the painter moved to Rome between 1706 and 1707 (cf. De Dominici 1745), breaking away from his master's teachings at an early age. During his second decade, he painted numerous small and medium-format works characterised by precious colourism and graceful figures, making a decisive contribution to the incipient Rococo style. The evolution of his style was clearly influenced by the lesson of Carlo Maratti and his pupils, but interpreted by him in a very autonomous manner, securing him important commissions. In fact, between 1714 and 1718, Conca took part in the decorations of the basilicas of San Clemente and San Giovanni in Laterano, undertakings that earned him admission to the Congregation of the Virtuosi at the Pantheon, to the Academy of San Luca and an astonishing commercial fortune, as Orlandi recalled in 1719, writing that the artist 'did not lack employment in Rome, nor commissions for countries beyond the Alps' (cf. Orlandi 1719, p. 390).Returning to the work under examination, it stands out for its chromatic preciousness, its sprezzatura and its fashionable character, capable of satisfying the craving of the many art lovers who appreciated his sketch-like works and were eager to possess one of his works. The work is accompanied by a critical file by Nicola Spinosa. Reference bibliography: Orlandi P.A., L'abecedario pittorico, Bologna 1719 (B. De Dominici, Vite dei Pittori, Scultori ed Architetti Napoletani, Naples, 1745, p. 626) G. Sestieri, N. Spinosa, Sebastiano Conca (1680 - 1764), exhibition catalogue, Gaeta 1981, ad vocem G. Sestieri, Repertorio della pittura romana della fine del Seicento e del Settecento, Turin 1994, I, pp. 173-176 L. Konecny, An unknown painting by Sebastiano Conca, Paragone, 57 (2006), no. 677, p. 87-89