159 Rosalba’s mythological works frequently show the female figures in dynamic poses, their garments and attributes playfully staged. In her portrayal of the faces, she departed from the classical frontal portrait in favour of views from the side or below. As is typical for the depiction of allegorical and mythological figures, her pastels exhibit a sensual quality. In Rosalba’s day, Greek deities and allegories were represented – after the classical example – naked or only sparsely clad. This practice provided artists not only with a convention for the erudite treatment of legendary subjects, but also an opportunity to explore human anatomy and ways of conveying erotic content. In the case of Rosalba Carriera, the latter often manifests itself in the prominent staging of the figure’s bared breast. The large majority of Carriera’s religious paintings are depictions of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Often small in scale, these works are marked by a sense of intimacy and piety. As no knowledge has come down to us regarding the artist’s personal religious beliefs, it is unclear whether she carried them out on commission or as an independent artistic exploration of the theme. At any rate, a fundamental religiosity could be assumed in the population of 18th-century Italy. Rosalba’s own contemporaries pointed out that her religious works bore affinities to those by Correggio, which she may have had the opportunity to study on her journey toModena. She differentiated distinctly between the two holy figures of Christ and the Virgin in terms of facial expression. Whereas the depictions of Mary tend to be distinguished by a downcast or heavenward gaze signifying inwardness and reverence, those of Christ usually make direct eye contact with the viewer. The two figural types thus embody the underlying dynamic of the Christian faith: devout believers on the one hand and the divine redeemer on the other. Both the content and the small format suggest that these works were intended as an aid in the cultivation of personal religiosity. In other words, they were not made for the purpose of presentation in a church but for use in private devotional practice or as a display of the owner’s piety. The Dresden examples are known to have been on exhibit in the electoral Pastel Cabinet along with other works by Carriera. In that setting they thus presumably served first and foremost as an expression of her artistic breadth while at the same time pointing to the scope of the owner’s sumptuous collection – although Augustus III will surely also have sought to mirror his conversion to Catholicism in his gallery’s pictorial programme. KP
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