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Maratti executed mostly large religious paintings, portraits and Madonnas. With this Virgin beside the sleeping Child surrounded by St Catherine of Alexandria and four angels, Maratti alludes to the Virgin and Child paintings of the late fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century Italian masters. The pyramidal composition, the use of sfumato, and the grace and sophistication of the Virgin's pose are inspired by Maratti's knowledge of the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Parmigianino.
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