Margherita Caffi (1648–1710) and Lorenzo Pasinelli (1629–1700), Mater Dolorosa in Floral Garland, c.1675, Oil on canvas, 99 x 82 cm, The National Gallery, Prague (Waldstein Riding School)
The painting is a rare and revealing collaboration between two important figures of the Italian Baroque: Margherita Caffi (1648–1710) from Milan and Lorenzo Pasinelli (1629–1700) from Bologna. Most likely commissioned by the noble Bolognese family Leoni, as suggested by the lion’s head at the base of the cartouche, this work belongs to a tradition of personalised devotional paintings created for aristocratic patrons in the late 17th century.
In the second half of the 17th century, Bologna was unusually supportive of women artists, building on the legacy of painters such as Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614) and Elisabetta Sirani (1638–1665). Caffi’s collaboration with Pasinelli, a respected local master, shows that the city could offer women the rare opportunity to be treated as artistic equals, even if such recognition remained confined to elite patronage networks.
Around 1675, Caffi established herself as one of the few successful independent female still-life painters in Italy. Trained in a Milanese family of artists, her father, Vincenzo Volò, was a still-life painter, and she later married Ludovico Caffi, also a painter. She already had earned recognition for her meticulous floral compositions, which attracted the attention of collectors across northern Italy.
At the same time, Pasinelli, at the height of his career, was known for his graceful, idealised religious compositions. His role in this project reflects Bologna’s openness to artistic collaboration with accomplished painters from other regions, including women.
The subject, a Mater Dolorosa encircled by a lavish floral garland, reflects a genre popular in Flanders and Italy since the early 17th century. It unites emotional piety with ornamental richness. The combination of Caffi’s botanical precision and Pasinelli’s emotionally charged Mater Dolorosa achieves a striking harmony of form, colour, and feeling.
