morbidezza

[ mawr-bi-det-suh; Italian mawr-bee-det-tsah ]

/ ˌmɔr bɪˈdɛt sə; Italian mɔr biˈdɛt tsɑ /

the effect of extreme softness and delicacy in pictorial and sculptural representations.

Origin of morbidezza

1615–25; < Italian, equivalent to morbid(o) delicate (see morbid) + -ezza -ice

This morbidezza of the spirit the Mahometans call Kef; the Christians, pious ecstasy.

Visionaries |James Huneker
Was love ever painted with more truth and 'morbidezza' than in the ninth book?

The PG Edition of Chesterfield's Letters to His Son |The Earl of Chesterfield
They blend the morbidezza of the senses with a rare feeling for natural and artistic beauty.

Renaissance in Italy: Italian Literature |John Addington Symonds
Morbidezza, mor-bi-det′za, n. that quality of flesh-painting which gives the impression of life.

Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) |Various

The colouring was more soft and Roman, with the dull gleam of pearls, a distinguished pallor, morbidezza.

The Prose Writings of Heinrich Heine |Heinrich Heine