Agostino Galeazzi (1523 - 1576/1579), Madonna and Child between Saints Cecilia and Catherine of Alexandria and patrons of the Lugazzo family, oil on canvas, 272 x 186 cm, Brescia, Palazzo Vescovile (Bischop's chapel).

BRESCIA - The exhibition, which presents 13 works created by Moretto's main Brescian pupils, such as Francesco Ricchino, Agostino Galeazzi, and Luca Mombello, explores the theme of female representation in painting with a sacred subject.

The initiative completes the path of the Women in Art exhibition from Titian to Boldini , set up at Palazzo Martinengo in Brescia and whose ticket allows free visits to the Sacro al Feminine exhibition and to the permanent collections of the Diocesan Museum of Brescia.

Agostino Galeazzi (1523 - 1576/1579), Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist, oil on canvas, 103 x 135 cm, private collection.

From 12 February to 12 June 2022, the Diocesan Museum of Brescia, inside the sixteenth-century complex of San Giuseppe, hosts the exhibition SACRO AL FEMMINILE. Works by the pupils of Moretto who presents 13 works , made by the main Brescian pupils of Alessandro Bonvicino known as Moretto, such as Francesco Ricchino (1509 / 1513-1573), Agostino Galeazzi (1523 - 1576/1579) and Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), coming from the collection of the Diocesan Museum of Brescia, from the Civic Museums of Brescia and from private collections.

The exhibition, curated by Davide Dotti, assisted by a scientific committee composed of Fiorella Frisoni, Valerio Guazzoni, Angelo Loda, promoted and organized by the Diocesan Museum of Brescia, with the patronage of the Province of Brescia Eventi Foundation, completes the path of the exhibition Women in the Art from Titian to Boldini , set up until 12 June at Palazzo Martinengo in Brescia, which documents how the representation of the woman has played a leading role in the history of Italian art, from the dawn of the Renaissance to the Belle Époque, and is the starting point for the discovery of the treasures of the permanent collection of the Diocesan Museum of Brescia.

Agostino Galeazzi (1523 - 1576/1579), Madonna and Child with Saint Agnes, oil on canvas, 75,5 x 68 cm, Brescia private collection.

"The itinerary - says Nicoletta Bontempi , President of the Diocesan Museum of Brescia - dialogues with the exhibition Women in the art of Palazzo Martinengo, enhancing the concept of a widespread museum that goes beyond spatial boundaries to weave bonds and partnerships with other city realities while maintaining identity there each person involved. An opportunity to create stimulating network and connection actions, which is reflected in the relationship, through history, between Museum, territory and city. "

"The Diocesan Museum of Brescia takes this exhibition as an opportunity to enter the lively cultural context of Brescia - declares Mauro Salvatore , Director of the Diocesan Museum of Brescia - rediscovering the masterpieces of the area dedicated to the centrality of the female figure in the context sacred together with the legacy of Moretto's style, approaching the appointment of Brescia-Bergamo Italian Capital of Culture 2023. "

Agostino Galeazzi (1523 - 1576/1579), Noli me tangere, oil on canvas, 80 x 73 cm, private collection.

"The exhibition, embellished with unpublished works and canvases that have not been seen in public for many decades - says Davide Dotti , curator of the exhibition - offers the opportunity to take stock of the situation from a historical-critical and attributionary point of view on the works fired by Galeazzi, Mombello and Ricchino, the three main Brescian pupils of Moretto who collected the cultural and artistic heritage of the great master, bringing it from the full Renaissance to the age of the Manner "

The exhibition will analyze the female figure in painting with a sacred subject which, not only for Moretto but also for Agostino Galeazzi and Luca Mombello, represents the numerically most significant part of their pictorial production, through paintings such as the Immaculate Conception and God the Father, Conversion of the Magdalene, the Coronation of the Virgin with the allegory of Modesty and Humility and the Presentation of Mary at the temple of Mombello.

Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), God the Father and the Immaculate Virgin, oil on canvas, 88 x 79,5 cm, Brescia, Civic Art and History Museums.

For the occasion, some unpublished paintings by Agostino Galeazzi will be presented , such as the Holy Family with San Giuseppe and San Giovannino and Noli me tangere , precious additions to the limited catalog of the master from Brescia, in addition to the mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine by Luca Mombello which still preserves the original frame designed and carved by the artist himself.

More than a century after the last public appearance, which took place in 1904 at the Brescia National Exhibition, it is possible to admire again the splendid altarpiece depicting the Madonna and Child with Saints Cecilia and Caterina and two patrons , a youthful masterpiece by Agostino Galeazzi dated 1552, once placed on the altar of the noble Brescian Luzzago family in the church of San Pietro in Oliveto, then moved during the nineteenth century to the Bishop's Palace in Brescia.

February 12 - June 12 2022

Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), Coronation of the Virgin with the allegories of Humility and Modesty, oil on canvas, 126 x 111 cm, Brescia, Musei Civici, inv. 695 (on deposit at the Diocesan Museum).

Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), Conversion of the Magdelene, oil on canvas, 120 x 100 cm, private collection.

Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), Santa Giulia, oil on canvas, 63 x 52 cm, private collection.

Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine with God the Father and angels, oil on canvas, 138 x 120 cm, private collection.

Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), Presentation of the child Mary in the temple, oil on canvas, 112,5 x 118,5 cm, Brescia, Musei Civici, inv. 694.

Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), Immaculate Conception, oil on canvas, 81 x 67 cm, Brescia, Basilica Santa Maria delle Grazie (depositedat the Diocesan Museum).

Luca Mombello (1518 / 1520– 1594/1595), Madonna del Rosario and Saints Dominic, Vincenzo Ferrer, Costanzo, Catherine of Alexandria, Catherine of Siena and Barbara, oil on canvas, 171 x 118 cm, private collection "La Cittadina Foudation for Veterinary Studies and Research".

Francesco Ricchino (1509 / 1513-1573), Madonna and Child, oil on panel, 66 x 50 cm, Bovegno, Sacristy ofthe church of San Giorgio.