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A Giaquinto for Spain’s National Heritage
29/2/24 - Acquisition - Madrid, Galería de las Colecciones Reales - In 2023, through Christie’s Iberica, Spain’s National Heritage acquired a painting by Corrado Giaquinto, which is now in the Royal Collections (ill. 1). It is probably a sketch for the ceiling or vault of a church, and although the precise location remains unknown, the figures depicted suggest that the project was intended for the Carmelite order. In the centre, a nun is crowned by Christ, dressed like her companions in the habit of Carmel, a brown gown, a black veil and a white cloak. Her identity is not clear. Some recognise the Spaniard Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), beatified in 1614 and canonised in 1622, while others see the Italian Mary Magdalene of Pazzi (1566-1607), who entered the convent of Santa Maria degli…