The Virgin of Carmel
Moretto da Brescia, 1522
The Virgin of Carmel is a large oil on canvas that Moretto da Brescia painted around 1522, and it is now held by the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. The subject refers to the Virgin venerated by the Carmelite order, and the Virgin Mary stands at the centre of a composition of considerable size, likely conceived for an altar setting. Its documented history is uneven. The painting entered the Venetian collection in exchange for two works sent to the Tempio Canoviano in Possagno, and the earliest secure written references date only to the 19th century, so its original location remains uncertain. It is thought it may have hung on the altar of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Brescia, though this is not confirmed. A mention of a large canvas by Moretto in a 1630 guide to Brescian art may refer to this work, but the connection remains a hypothesis. Because of its early date and its ambitious scale, it is regarded as one of the artist's most notable works from his youth.
- Painter
- Moretto da Brescia
- Date
- 1522
- Medium
- oil paint, canvas
- Dimensions
- 271 × 298 cm
- Museum
- Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
- Genre
- religious art
- Depicts
- Mary, woman
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