Orazio Gentileschi and Van Dyck Masterpieces Shown in Turin

For the first time, Intesa Sanpaolo's Christmas exhibition 'L'Ospite illustre' is held at Palazzo Turinetti, home to the Gallerie d'Italia's contemporary photography spaces. The exhibition presents two 17th-century masterpieces from Rome's Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica: Orazio Gentileschi's 'Madonna col Bambino' (c. 1610) and Anthony van Dyck's 'Madonna del latte' (c. 1625). The attribution of the Gentileschi work is debated, with some scholars suggesting it may be by his daughter Artemisia Gentileschi, possibly the painting she was working on when assaulted by Agostino Tarsi. The works, originally in the collection of Cardinal Neri Maria Corsini, are displayed without glass at eye level to encourage contemplation. The exhibition highlights the artists' personal connection: they met in Genoa in 1621 and later in England, where Van Dyck painted a portrait of Gentileschi. The two paintings offer contrasting interpretations of the Madonna lactans theme: Gentileschi's domestic, Caravaggesque scene versus Van Dyck's melancholic, symbolic composition influenced by the Italian Renaissance. The exhibition runs at Gallerie d'Italia in Turin.