3) 1770-80 – St. Basil the Great invoking Mary (St. George)
MOTHER CHURCH OF SAN GIORGIO MARTIRE Ragusa Ibla
1770-80 – attributed to Tommaso Pollace from Palermo – Saint Basil the Great invoking Mary
The canvas by should refer to the seventies Saint Basil the Great invoking Mary (oil painting on canvas ).
The work represents the bishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil, kneeling, dressed in bishop's robes, with the crosier in his left hand, imploring with his right hand, winged heads above and below among the clouds, a seraph holding the miter and two angels holding an open book. On the left side, under the Madonna, in the distance a warrior saint, or an angel shooting the clouds, is about to strike the emperor on horseback leading an army with a spear.
Below, in a painted scroll we read "San Basilius Magnus B.am Mariam Verginemexorat et gratia mobtinet. Anno domini…(the last letters cannot be read: it could have written 177..).
