Saints Presenting a Devout Woman to the Virgin and Child

About the Artwork

A devout woman, shown at lower right, is presented by saints and an angel to the central Virgin and Child. In clockwise order from her is Saint Lucy, identified by the cauldron and sword at her feet; Saint Agnes, by the lamb; Saint Scholastica, by the dove she holds; and Saint Benedict, characterized by his crozier and Benedictine habit. Slightly below the central Madonna is Saint Veronica, whose head is covered. Behind Saint Veronica, Saint Anthony of Padua, wearing a Franciscan habit and holding a lily stalk, stands in a pose of adoration. Below Saint Anthony and next to the woman is an angel. The identity of the woman is uncertain, but she may be the painting's patron. Pittoni uses dramatic gestures and elegant drapery, while the soft treatment of light and rich colors reflect Pittoni's study of French Rococo art during his stay in France in 1720. In the crowded composition, Pittoni has emphasized the importance of the religious event. His experimentation with composition is evident in the legs of Saint Agnes's lamb; as the painting has aged, a third front leg that Pittoni had painted over has become visible.

Provenance

1982-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio Until 1982: (Newhouse Galleries, New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) Possibly 1941-1982: Baron André Descamps, Brussels, possibly consigned to Newhouse Galleries 1941: (Galerie Fievez, Brussels, sale, June 23-24, 1941, no. 232 1927: (Galerie Georges Giroux, Brussels, Broerman sale, March 21, 1927, lot 24, as Giambattista Tiepolo) Possibly 1924-1927: Eugene Broerman [1860-1930], Brussels, consigned to Galerie Georges Giroux Piccoli collection, Venice 1720s: Possibly a palace chapel, Belluno, Italy

Exhibition history

The Year in Review for 1982. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 6, 1983). The Allure of La Serenissima: Eighteenth-Century Venetian Art. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, OK (organizer) (September 9, 2010-January 2, 2011).

Quick Overview

Artist: Giovanni Battista Pittoni (Italian, 1687–1767)
Date: 1720s
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: Framed: 185 x 149 x 6.5 cm (72 13/16 x 58 11/16 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 172 x 135.5 cm (67 11/16 x 53 3/8 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: European Painting and Sculpture
Credit line: Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession no.: 1982.36

More by Giovanni Battista Pittoni in museum collections

Susanna and the Elders (recto); Architectural design and other scribbles (verso)
Giovanni Battista Pittoni
ca. 1720 · Drawing
Public collection via the Metropolitan Museum of ArtAT-00022340

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.