The "Madonna della pappa" is one of the most famous subjects by the Genoese painter Bernardo Strozzi (Genoa, 1581 – Venice, 1644). The composition can be attributed to the version considered to be the first, a youthful execution, preserved at the Musée Châlon-sur-Saône, [on canvas 93 x 71 cm, p. 98, fig. 55] and created around the first decades of the 17th century. This work was so successful that it prompted the painter himself to replicate it in subsequent versions with more or less differences. Our small "jewel" is an example of this. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary offering pap to Jesus with a spoon. The figures, illuminated by light, emerge from the shadow with warm tones and a textured brushwork. In this work, the Capuchin friar managed to humanize the sacred figure of the Madonna, transforming a scene into a domestic moment, an everyday gesture of tenderness from a common mother towards her child. Bernardo Strozzi was born in Genoa in 1581 and is considered one of the leading painters of the Italian Baroque. Entering a convent of the religious order of the Capuchins at a young age, from which he derived his nickname "il Cappuccino" (the Capuchin), he dedicated himself to painting in parallel. This activity caused him conflicts with the rules of his order, which did not look kindly on his artistic and economic activity. After leaving Genoa, following various difficulties and problems with the religious authorities, he moved to Venice around 1630; here he implemented his personal style, characterized by strong realism, brighter and more colorful, inevitably influenced by Venetian painting, and where he quickly achieved great success. Our small panel, which enriches the catalog of numerous known versions of this composition, is among the youthful works that the Master produced to be offered in the context of alms collection, painted on inexpensive and readily available materials. Bernardo Strozzi is considered among the great Italian painters of the 17th century, capable of conveying not only images but also emotions; emotions that, four hundred years later, continue to emerge from his works. Dimensions: Panel 28.7 x 23.6 cm - frame 38 x 33 cm