The famous work “Visit to the tomb with the Virgin and the three Marys” from the Valter and Paola Mainetti Collection, painted by Carlo Maratti between 1691 and 1692, will be exhibited at the Museo del Corso for the exhibition “Homage to Carlo Maratti”one of the Roman protagonists of painting in the second half of the seventeenth century and a point of reference for the artistic production of the eighteenth century.
The painting
The exhibition, curated by Simonetta Prosperi Valenti Rodinò, is promoted by Rome Foundation with the aim of making the public aware of the master’s rich pictorial production – portrait, painting of sacred subjects, Arcadian themes – and highlighting the influence he had on the following generation of painters. The painting, oil on canvas 86 x 71.5 cm, from the Valter and Paola Mainetti Collection – curated by Sorgente Group Foundation which embraces a vast time span, from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century, with one of the most important private collections of paintings by Guercino – depicts the Virgin of Sorrows, or Mater Dolorosa, who observes with gaze veiled with tears the crown of thornsone of the symbols of the passion of Christ, supported by an angel.
The Virgin of Sorrows wears a large blue cloak which she supports with her right hand, while she rests her left hand on the tomb, of which the tombstone can be seen behind their shoulders. In the background, on the right, three female figures appear who, according to the Holy Scriptures, are identified with Mary of Nazareth, mother of Jesus, Mary of Cleophas and Mary of Magdala, known as Mary Magdalene.
“Lending our work to the Museo del Corso exhibition – stated Valter Mainetti, President of the Sorgente Group Foundation – is a great honor for us. We welcomed this opportunity with enthusiasm, certain that it will allow a vast and diversified audience to admire one of the most appreciated works of Maratti, an artist for whom my wife Paola and I have a profound passion”.
“The work fully expresses Maratti’s pictorial talent – added Paola Mainetti, Vice President of the Sorgente Group Foundation – which manifests itself in the chromatic harmony and balanced composition of the images, among which the detail of the three Maries in the background stands out, a distinctive detail that is not found in other paintings of the time”.
The exhibition “Homage to Carlo Maratti”
The exhibition pays homage to Carlo Maratti in fourth centenary of his birth and exhibits a selection of 40 paintings, coming from national and international collections, which represent the best works of the painter, who established himself above all on the Roman market. In the exhibition we also find paintings by artists of the time who were inspired by Maratti, such as Giuseppe Passeri, Andrea Sacchi, Francesco Trevisani, Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari and numerous paintings by other of his followers who today enrich the art collections of the Rome Foundation in the prestigious headquarters of Palazzo Sciarra Colonna.
The “Homage to Carlo Maratti” exhibition will be open to visitors at the Museo del Corso – Museum Center of Palazzo Sciarra Colonna – from 21 November 2025 to 12 April 2026.