New York • Wednesday 29 January 2014

IFC2
Renaissance
Wednesday 29 January 2014

1
 InternatIonal old Masters, 19th Century,VICtorIan
and russIan art auCtIons

AUCTION CALENDAR 2014

TO INCLUDE YOUR PROPERTY IN THESE SALES PLEASE CONSIGN TEN WEEKS BEFORE THE SALE DATE.
CONTACT THE SPECIALISTS OR REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

29 JANUARY 21 MAY 27 OCTOBER

OLD MASTER PAINTINGS PART I 19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART INCLUDING 19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART
NEW YORK ORIENTALIST ART NEW YORK
LONDON, KING STREET
29 JANUARY 30 OCTOBER
RENAISSANCE 2 JUNE OLD MASTER & BRITISH PAINTINGS
NEW YORK IMPORTANT RUSSIAN ART LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON
LONDON, KING STREET
29 JANUARY 12 NOVEMBER
19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART & 4 JUNE MARITIME ART
ORIENTALIST ART OLD MASTER PAINTINGS LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON
LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON NEW YORK
18 NOVEMBER
30 JANUARY 5 JUNE 19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART &
OLD MASTER PAINTINGS PART II MARITIME ART ORIENTALIST ART
NEW YORK LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON LONDON, KING STREET

30 JANUARY 17 JUNE 24 NOVEMBER

OLD MASTER & BRITISH DRAWINGS VICTORIAN & BRITISH IMPRESSIONIST ART IMPORTANT RUSSIAN ART
NEW YORK LONDON, KING STREET LONDON, KING STREET

12 MARCH 19 JUNE 25 NOVEMBER

VICTORIAN & BRITISH IMPRESSIONIST VICTORIAN & BRITISH IMPRESSIONIST VICTORIAN & BRITISH IMPRESSIONIST
PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES
LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON

26 MARCH 8 JULY 2 DECEMBER

DESSINS ANCIENS OLD MASTER & BRITISH PAINTINGS OLD MASTER & BRITISH PAINTINGS
PARIS EVENING SALE EVENING SALE
LONDON, KING STREET LONDON, KING STREET
1 APRIL
TABLEAUX ANCIENS ET DU XIXÈME SIÈCLE 9 JULY 3 DECEMBER
PARIS OLD MASTER & BRITISH PAINTINGS OLD MASTER & BRITISH PAINTINGS
DAY SALE DAY SALE
9 APRIL
LONDON, KING STREET LONDON, KING STREET
RUSSIAN WORKS OF ART
NEW YORK 9 JULY 3 DECEMBER
SPORTING AND WILDLIFE ART OLD MASTER & BRITISH DRAWINGS &
28 APRIL
LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON WATERCOLOURS
19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART
LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON
NEW YORK 10 JULY
OLD MASTER DRAWINGS 10 DECEMBER
29 APRIL
& BRITISH WORKS ON PAPER SPORTING AND WILDLIFE ART
OLD MASTER & BRITISH PAINTINGS
LONDON, KING STREET LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON
LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON
11 SEPTEMBER 18 DECEMBER
2 MAY
19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART & VICTORIAN PICTURES
19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART &
ORIENTALIST ART LONDON, KING STREET
ORIENTALIST ART
LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON
LONDON, SOUTH KENSINGTON

13 MAY
OLD MASTER, 19TH CENTURY &
IMPRESSIONIST ART
AMSTERDAM

Subject to change

03/11/13

2
 Renaissance
Wednesday 29 January 2014

PROPERTIES FROM AUCTION

The Estate of Frank and Merle Buttram
Wednesday 29 January 2014
The Collection of Raymond Enkeboll
at 2.00 pm (Lots 101-175)
The Former
Estate of Barbara Estridge 20 Rockefeller Plaza
The Private Collection of New York, NY 10020
Richard L. Feigen, New York
The Estate of Barbara Piasecka Johnson;
Proceeds to Beneft the VIEWING
Barbara Piasecka Johnson Foundation Saturday 25 January 10.00 am - 5.00 pm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sunday 26 January 1.00 pm - 5.00 pm
Sold to Beneft the European Paintings
Acquisitions Fund Monday 27 January 10.00 am - 5.00 pm
The Estate of Max Stern
Tuesday 28 January 10.00 am - 5.00 pm
The Toledo Museum of Art,
Sold to Beneft the Acquisitions Fund AUCTIONEER
The Estate of Eric Martin Wunsch James Bruce-Gardyne (# 940126)

AUCTION CODE AND NUMBER CONDITIONS OF SALE

In sending absentee bids or making This auction is subject to

Old Masters in Focus: Important Notices,
enquiries, this sale should be referred
A Sunday Afternoon Lecture Series Exploring Conditions of Sale and
Highlights from Old Masters Week
to as AGLAEA–2819
to reserves.
[40]
AUCTION RESULTS
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3
4
 Contents

2 Calendar of Auctions
3 Auction Information
6 Christie’s International Old Masters and 19th Century Art Department
7 Specialists and Services for this Auction
8 Property for Sale
216 Important Notices and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice
217 Buying at Christie’s
219 Handling and Collection
220 Conditions of Sale and Limited Warranty
222 Worldwide Salerooms and American Offices
224 Christie’s Specialist Departments and Services
229 Absentee Bids Form
230 Catalogue Subscriptions

opposite:
Lot 156

front cover:
Lot 116

back cover:
Lot 143

inside front cover:

Lot 165

inside back cover:

Lot 150

christies.com

5
 International Old Masters, 19th Century,Victorian
and Russian Art Department
CO-CHAIRMEN INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE SALES DIRECTOR LONDON SOUTH KENSINGTON
Nicholas H. J. Hall James Bruce-Gardyne Claire Åhman
Tel: +1 212 636 2122 Tel: +44 (0)20 7389 2505 Max Andrews
Richard Knight Amparo Martinez-Russotto
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Karl Hermanns
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NoGl Annesley
BUSINESS MANAGERS
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Tel: +44 (0)20 7389 2075 LONDON KING STREET MILAN
Alexandra Baker Marco Riccomini
DEPUTY CHAIRMEN
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Paul Raison
(Old Master Paintings London) LONDON SOUTH KENSINGTON NEW YORK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7389 2086 Nigel Shorthouse Ann Guité
Ben Hall Tel: +44 (0)20 7752 3221 Deborah Coy
(Old Master Paintings, New York) FRANCE Izabela Grocholski
Tel: +1 212 636 2121 Virginie Barocas-Hagelauer James Hastie
Tel: +33 (0)1 40 76 8563 Jennifer Wright
INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORS
Joshua Glazer
John Stainton WORLDWIDE
Elizabeth Nogrady
(British and Sporting Pictures) AMSTERDAM
Emma Kronman
Tel: +44 (0)20 7389 2945 Sarah de Clercq
Mark Moehrke
Henry Pettifer Manja Rottink
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INTERNATIONAL HEADS OF DEPARTMENT Roland de Lathuy
Alexandra McMorrow Tel: +32 (0)2 512 8830 PARIS
(19th Century European Art) Cécile Bernard
LONDON KING STREET
Tel: +44 (0)207 389 2538 Ketty Gottardo
Georgina Wilsenach
Benjamin Peronnet Elvire de Maintenant
Sarah Mansfield
(Old Master and 19th Century Drawings) Olivier Lefeuvre
Brandon Lindberg
Tel: +44 (0)20 7389 2272 HBl7ne Rihal
Laura Tayler
Harriet Drummond Nicolas Kaenzig
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Rosie Jarvie
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Sandra Romito
Alexis Tiesenhausen
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(Russian Art)
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Alexis Ashot (Private Sales)
Peter Brown
Freddie de Rougemont
(Victorian Art)
Sarah Vowles
Tel: +44 20 7389 2435
Assunta von Moy
CONSULTANTS Helen Culver-Smith
Gregory Martin (Consultant, Old Master Evelyn Heathcote-Amory
Paintings) Rosie Henniker-Major
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Everett Fahy (Consultant, Old Master Paintings)
Clare McKeon (Consultant, Sporting Art)

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30/10/13

6
Specialists and Services for this Auction

TOP ROW (left to right): Anna Covatta, Jennifer Wright, Ben Hall, Laryssa Zalisko, Nicholas H. J. Hall, Clare McKeon, Alan Wintermute, Karen Karp, Joshua Glazer
BOTTOM ROW (left to right): Caroline Strumph, Emma Kronman, Ann Guité, Elizabeth Nogrady, Andrea Rico, Annie Stuart

OTHER SPECIALISTS FOR THIS SALE OLD MASTER PAINTINGS AUCTION SERVICES

Kay Sutton SALE ADMINISTRATOR ABSENTEE AND HANDLING AND COLLECTION

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7
 PROPERTY FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART,
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE EUROPEAN PAINTINGS ACQUISITIONS FUND

101
THE MASTER OF THE ARGONAUTS
(JACOPO DEL SELLAIO)
(Florence c. 1441-1493)

The Madonna and Child

tempera on panel
17æ x 14º in. (45.1 x 36.2 cm.), with additions: Ω in. (1.3 cm.) to the upper edge,
1 in. (2.6 cm.) to the lower edge, and ¡ in. (0.9 cm.) to the left and right edges

$120,000-180,000
£80,000-120,000
€90,000-130,000

PROVENANCE: LITERATURE:
Charles Butler, London, by 1881. W. von Bode, Die Sammlung Oscar Hainauer, Berlin, C.L. Ragghianti, ‘Intorno a Filippo Lippi,’ Critica
Oscar Hainauer (d. 1894), Berlin, and by inheritance 1897, pp. 15, 73, no. 81, pl. 81, as Filippo Lippi. d’arte, III, 1938, pp. XXIV-XXV, fg. 6, as Giovanni di
to his widow H. Mackowsky, ‘Die Florentiner, die Umbrer, die Francesco.
Mrs. Julie Hainauer, Berlin, from whom purchased Schulen von Padua, Ferrara, Mailand und Verona,’ M. Pittaluga, ‘Note sulla bottega di Filippo Lippi,’
in 1906 by the following. in Ausstellung von Kunstwerken des Mittelalters und L’Arte, XLIV, January 1941, p. 35, note 2, as possibly
with Duveen, London. der Renaissance aus Berliner Privatbesitz veranstaltet by Giovanni di Francesco.
with Fischer Gallery, New York, from whom von der kunstgeschichtlichen Gesellschaft, exhibition M. Pittaluga, Filippo Lippi, Florence, 1949, p. 222,
acquired in 1912 by catalogue, Berlin, 1899, pp. 38-39, pl. LIX, as a fg. 206, as ‘Giovanni di Francesco (?)’.
George and Florence Blumenthal, New York, Florentine follower of Filippo Lippi, such as Zanobi R. Salvini, Tutta la pittura del Botticelli, Milan,
by whom given in 1941 to Machiavelli. 1958, I, p. 72, as not Botticelli and not Giovanni di
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. B. Berenson, The Florentine Painters of the Francesco.
Renaissance, New York, 1909, p. 169, as Pier F. Zeri and E. Gardner, The Metropolitan Museum of
EXHIBITED: Francesco Fiorentino. Art: Italian Paintings, Florentine School, New York,
London, Royal Academy of Arts, Winter Exhibition, ‘Aus der Sammlerwelt und vom Kunsthandel: New- 1971, pp. 116-117, as the Master of San Miniato.
January-March 1881, no. 182, as Piero della York’, Der Cicerone, IV, 1912, p. 246, as Filippo Lippi. B.B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre-
Francesca. S. Rubinstein-Bloch, Catalogue of the Collection Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North
Berlin, Kunstgeschichtlichen Gesellschaft, of George and Florence Blumenthal, Paris, 1926, I, American Public Collections, Cambridge, Mass.,
Ausstellung von Kunstwerken des Mittelalters und der unpaginated, pl. XI, as a follower of Filippo Lippi. 1972, pp. 126, 321, 607, as the Master of the
Renaissance aus Berliner Privatbesitz, 20 May- B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance, Castello Nativity.
25 June, 1898, no. 2, as Filippo Lippi. Oxford, 1932, p. 104, as Botticelli. B.B. Fredericksen, Giovanni di Francesco and the
New York, F. Kleinberger Galleries, Italian L. Venturi, ‘Contributi a Filippo Lippi’, L’Arte, XXXV, Master of Pratovecchio, Malibu, 1974, p. 29, no. 2,
Primitives, 12-30 November 1917, no. 22, as a September 1932, pp. 408, 411 fg. 2, 417, as Filippo as probably by the Master of San Miniato.
follower of Filippo Lippi, possibly Zanobi Machiavelli Lippi. G. Dalli Regoli, ‘Il Maestro di San Miniato: anatomia
(catalogue by O. Sirén and M.W. Brockwell). L. Venturi, Italian Paintings in America: Fifteenth di un’ipotesi,’ Il ‘Maestro di San Miniato’: lo stato
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Century Renaissance, New York, 1933, II, pl. 213, degli studi, i problemi, le risposte della flologia, Pisa,
Florentine Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum, as Filippo Lippi. 1988, p. 97, pl. 57, as unknown Florentine.
15 June-15 August 1971 (no catalogue). V. Giovannozzi, ‘Note su Giovanni di Francesco,’ E. Fahy, ‘The Argonaut Master,’ Gazette des beaux-
Rivista d’arte, XVI, 1934, p. 342, as School of Filippo arts, 6th ser., CXIV, December 1989, pp. 292, 296,
Lippi. 299, fg. 10, note 51.
B. Berenson, Pitture italiane del rinascimento, Milan, M. Secrest, Duveen: a life in art, Chicago, 2005,
1936, p. 90, as Botticelli. p. 457, as Filippo Lippi.
G. Pudelko, ‘Per la datazione delle opere di Fra
Filippo Lippi,’ Rivista d’arte, XVIII, 1936, p. 51 note
4, as by a pupil of Lippi, possibly the same one who
painted a Madonna adoring the Child in the Acton
collection, Florence.

8
9
 A lthough attributed to Filippo Lippi when in the New York collection of George
and Florence Blumenthal, the present animated Madonna and Child was already
considered a work by a close contemporary of Lippi by the time it entered the
Metropolitan Museum’s collection. Though ascribed to various painters in the school
of Botticelli since that time, the Metropolitan’s picture has most recently—and most
convincingly—been given to the so-called Master of the Argonauts, an anonymous
Florentine painter who was deeply infuenced by Pesellino and Filippo Lippi. In
his seminal article of 1989 on the artist (op. cit.), Everett Fahy pointed out several
paintings attributable to the Argonaut Master, including a pair of cassone panels in
the Bode Museum, Berlin; a Judgment of Paris in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge;
two Madonnas in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and a riveting, highly original
Madonna and an Angel adoring the Christ child in the Acton Collection, Florence.
Fahy’s assessment of the artist’s idiosyncratic style, which includes ‘pinched
physiognomies, sharply tapered fngers, and heavily lidded eyes’ (ibid., p. 294),
is evident in the present work, which was certainly inspired by Filippo Lippi’s
monumental Madonna and Child now in the Alte Pinakhotek, Munich, datable to c.
1460. Fahy also noted that in the present work, the Christ child’s ‘stretched arms recall
the movement of the Christ child in Verrocchio’s Madonna in the Gemäldegalerie,
Berlin’. He further pointed out that Zeri (1972; loc. cit.) had grouped the Metropolitan
Madonna with several other pictures, including the abovementioned Acton painting:
a Madonna and Child formerly in the Bernheimer collection, Munich; a Madonna and
Child Enthroned formerly in the Ricasoli collection, Florence; and a Madonna Adoring
the Christ child in the Musée de Tessé, Le Mans. Zeri assigned all these works to the
early period of the Master of San Miniato, and while Fahy agreed that the group
is cohesive, he suggested instead that they are all attributable to the Master of the
Argonauts, while tentatively ascribing the Le Mans picture to the young Jacopo del
Sellaio (loc. cit.).
Today, Fahy has come to the conclusion to which he only alluded in his 1989
article: that the works assigned to the Master of the Argonauts are, in fact, early
paintings by Jacopo del Sellaio (Florence, c. 1441-1493), a painter Vasari describes,
along with Botticelli, as a pupil of Filippo Lippi. Sellaio’s oeuvre, though perhaps
better understood than that of some of his anonymous contemporaries, invites further
study, and the present panel provides a starting point for a revised understanding of
the artist’s career.
We are grateful to Everett Fahy for his considered thoughts on the present work,
on the basis of frsthand inspection.

10
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 PROPERTY FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART,
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE EUROPEAN PAINTINGS ACQUISITIONS FUND

102
STUDIO OF ALESSANDRO FILIPEPI,
CALLED SANDRO BOTTICELLI
(Florence 1444/45-1510)

The Madonna and Child with a goldfnch

oil, tempera, and gold on panel, arched top
29º x 16 in. (74.3 x 40.6 cm.)

$400,000-600,000
£270,000-400,000
€300,000-450,000

PROVENANCE:
with Conte Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi,
Rome and New York, by 1926-1927.
I n this grand painting, a beautiful Madonna stands before an open-aired, pietra serena
niche. She tenderly supports the Christ Child, who gazes out at the viewer while
raising his hand in blessing. He holds a goldfnch in his left hand, a frequent motif in
Felix M. Warburg, New York, by 1927; given in
memory of Felix M. Warburg by his wife and Florentine Renaissance depictions of the Madonna and Child, which alludes to the
children in 1941 to Passion. The Christ Child sits on a gold-fringed cushion resting on a stone pedestal, an
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. reference to the altar of sacrifce and the sacrament of the Eucharist. The classicizing
reliefs on its sides depict putti, rabbits and acanthus leaves, evoking fecundity.
EXHIBITED:
Westport, Connecticut, Westport Community Art While the reliefs may simply refect the Florentine Renaissance fascination with
Association, 12-24 February 1955 (no catalogue). antiquity, they may also have been intended to symbolize the world ante and extra
Little Rock, Arkansas Arts Center, Five Centuries of Revelationem (see G. Cornini, ‘Sandro Botticelli’ in Botticelli e Filippino. L’inquietudine
European Painting, 16 May-26 October 1963, p. 8,
e la grazia nella pittura forentina del Quattrocento, exhibition catalogue, Florence, 2004,
as a follower of Botticelli.
Stamford, Connecticut, Stamford Museum and pp. 206-209). As Longhi observed (written correspondence, Oct. 1926), the unusual
Nature Center, Renaissance Paintings, 2-17 May foreshortening of the architecture is typical of Botticelli and his workshop. It is not
1964 (no catalogue). strictly perspectival—note for instance, the recession of the pedestal’s molding—but
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, rather designed to accentuate the fgures and add drama to the composition.
Florentine Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum,
15 June-15 August 1971 (no catalogue).
When this painting was in the Contini-Bonacossi collection in the early 20th
century, several scholars considered it an autograph work by Botticelli, including
LITERATURE: Gronau, Von Hadeln, Mayer, Swarzenski, Suida and Longhi, the latter two of whom
R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian Schools dated the panel to c. 1485 and c. 1483-1485, respectively (see F. Zeri and E.E. Gardner,
of Painting, XII, The Renaissance Painters of Florence
in the 15th Century: The Third Generation, The
loc. cit.). Indeed, several elements in the present picture relate to other works by the
Hague, 1931, p. 241, fg. 148, as School of Botticelli. artist. The elegant Madonna, for instance, with her impossibly long neck and slender
F. Zeri and E. Gardner, Italian Paintings: A Catalogue face tilted to the right, recalls the Virgin depicted in Botticelli’s San Barnaba altarpiece
of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, (Florence, Uffzi, no. 8361), while the Christ child closely compares with the Christ
Florentine School, New York, 1971, p. 166,
as Follower of Botticell.
in the San Ambrogio altarpiece (Florence, Uffzi, no. 8657). Although Van Marle and
B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre- Zeri questioned whether the present painting might have been produced by a follower
Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North outside of Botticelli’s workshop (op. cit.), more recently, Lightbown catalogued it as
American Public Collections, Cambridge, 1972, a studio work, datable to c. 1500-10 (loc. cit.). Botticelli himself combined the two
pp. 34, 319, 608, as ‘school, shop, or studio’
fgures from the aforementioned altarpieces into a single composition, The Madonna
of Botticelli.
R. Lightbown, Sandro Botticelli, Berkeley and Los and Child, with a pomegranate in an alcove with roses behind (sold Christie’s, London,
Angeles, 1978, II, p. 122, no. C13. 7 December 2006, lot 39 (£7,497,053)), which was surely the primary source for
the Metropolitan’s painting. The present work draws on many of the motifs found in
this impressive, larger Madonna, which was formerly in the collection of Sir Thomas
Merton, including the curved stone niche. Variations such as the Christ child’s seated
pose, the substitution of the goldfnch with a pomegranate, and the elimination of
the rose garden in the background suggest that the present painting was produced by
a talented painter in the master’s workshop, using Botticelli’s own designs.

12
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 PROPERTY FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART,
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE EUROPEAN PAINTINGS ACQUISITIONS FUND

103
MARIOTTO ALBERTINELLI (Florence 1474-1515)
and GIULIANO BUGIARDINI (Florence 1475-1554)
The Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist and an angel
oil and gold on panel
38Ω x 30º in. (97.8 x 76.8 cm.)

$250,000-350,000
£170,000-230,000
€190,000-260,000

PROVENANCE: LITERATURE:
(Possibly) The Gonzaga family, Dukes of Mantua, Monumenti di pittura e scultura trascelti in Mantova e H.B. Wehle, The Metropolitan Museum of Art:
Mantua. nel suo territorio, Mantua, 1827, pp. 1-2, pl. 1, A Catalogue of Italian, Spanish, and Byzantine
Conte Gaetano Susanni, Mantua, by 1827; Hôtel as Francesco Francia. Paintings, New York, 1940, p. 61, as Albertinelli.
Drouot, Paris, 28 February 1868, lot 37, O. Mündler in C.T. Dowd, ed. ‘The Travel Diaries of B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance:
as Francesco Francia. Otto Mündler, 1855-1858,’ Walpole Society, LI, 1985, Florentine School, London, 1963, I, p. 45,
Alfredo Omfray, Naples, 1871. p. 155, entry from 27 May 1857, as Sogliani. as Bugiardini.
Mme. Baude, Paris, by 1891, by whom sold in 1894 J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A History of F. Zeri and E. Gardner, Italian Paintings: A Catalogue
to the following. Painting in Italy from the Second to the Fourteenth of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
with T. Lawrie and Co., London, by whom sold in Century, London, 1866, III, pp. 498-499 note 5, Florentine School, New York, 1971, pp. 188-189,
1896 to as Bugiardini. as Albertinelli.
Theodore M. Davis, Newport, R.I., by whose estate E.B. Andrews, ‘Journal entry’, 1 May 1897, B.B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre-
bequeathed in 1930 to in A Journal on the Bedawin, 1889-1912, New York, Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 1918, n.p., as Bugiardini. American Public Collections, Cambridge, 1972,
J. Breck, ‘Dipinti italiani nella raccolta del Signor pp. 4, 336, 607, as Albertinelli.
EXHIBITED: Teodoro Davis’, Rassegna d’arte, XI, July 1911, S. Meloni Trkulja, ‘Bugiardini, Giuliano’, in
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1915-1930. pp. 114-115, as Bugiardini. Dizionario biografco degli italiani, 15, Rome, 1972,
London, Royal Academy of Arts, Winter Exhibition, J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A History of p. 16, as Bugiardini.
January-March 1891, no. 109, as Francesco Francia. Painting in Italy: Umbria, Florence and Siena from the L. Borgo, The Works of Mariotto Albertinelli, New
Trenton, State of New Jersey Museum, Christmas Second to the Sixteenth Century, London, 1914, VI, York, 1976, I, pp. 160-161, 300-302, no. 14,
Exhibition, 19 December 1948-2 January 1949 pp. 119-120, note 1, as Bugiardini. fg. 21, as Albertinelli, possibly with assistance
(no catalogue). L. Dami, Vita di Giuliano Bugiardini, Florence, 1915, from Bugiardini.
Winter Park, Morse Gallery of Art, Christmas p. 36, as Bugiardini. L. Pagnotta, Giuliano Bugiardini, Turin, 1987,
Exhibition, 12 December 1952-12 January 1953 A. Venturi, ‘La pittura del cinquecento’, in Storia pp. 28, 195, no. 9, fg. 9, probably a collaboration
(no catalogue). dell’arte italiana, IX, 9, Milan, 1925, I, p. 426, note 1, between Albertinelli and Bugiardini. A. Matteoli,
Stamford, Stamford Museum, Christmas exhibition, as Bugiardini. ‘Un’inedita ‘Madonna’ di Giuliano Bugiardini,’
12-31 December 1954 (no catalogue). B. Burroughs, ‘The Theodore M. Davis Bequest: Storia dell’arte, IC, May-August 2000, pp. 20, 22
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Paintings,’ Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, note 13.
Florentine Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum, XXVI, 2, March 1931, pp. 14, 16, as Albertinelli. G. Sarti, ed., Fonds d’or et fonds peints italiens
15 June-15 August 1971 (no catalogue). B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance, (1300-1560), exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2002,
Oxford, 1932, p. 119, as Bugiardini. pp. 172, 174, 178, 180, 182, 184-186 note 6, fg. 1,
B. Berenson, Pitture italiane del rinascimento, Milan, as ‘Albertinelli and (or) Bugiardini’ (entry by A. de
1936, p. 103, as Bugiardini. Marchi).

14
15
 E ver since it was frst recorded in the Gaetano Susanni collection in Mantua in the
early 19th century, this compelling and intensely colored Madonna and Child with
the Young Saint John the Baptist and an Angel has been variously attributed to Giuliano
Bugiardini and Mariotto Albertinelli. In fact, the present panel is a rare example
of a collaborative work between the two artists, painted when they were sharing a
studio in the Via Valfronda in Florence, rented from the Dominicans of Santa Maria
Novella from 29 April 1503 to c. 1509. A second such example is the altarpiece of
1506 painted for the church of Santa Trinità, Florence, depicting the Madonna and
Child with Saints Jerome and Zenobius (Louvre, Paris, inv. 38), which is signed and dated
by Albertinelli. At the start of their period of collaboration, both Albertinelli and
Bugiardini were in their early thirties. This phase of their respective careers remains
sparsely documented, however, and the present work, as Andrea de Marchi has noted
(G. Sarti, loc. cit.), constitutes an important extant document of their relationship and
early artistic development.
The turn of the 16th century witnessed the height of the High Renaissance in
Florence. Dominated by geniuses like Leonardo, Michelangelo, Fra Bartolommeo,
and, soon after, Raphael, the city became the center of art and learning in Italy.
Born in 1474 and 1475 respectively, Albertinelli and Bugiardini were among the
frst generation of artists to absorb the innovations of these renowned masters. The
supple compositional rhythms of this serene Madonna and Child, for example, refect
the paintings executed in Florence by Raphael in the frst decade of the 16th century.
Perhaps most evident is the infuence of Fra Bartolommeo, with whom Albertinelli
had been collaborating just a few years earlier, in 1500. Here the gracefully posed,
monumental fgures recall Fra Bartolommeo’s earliest, and arguably most evocative
works: the Madonna, stoic and frontally-viewed, is amplifed by the varied placement
of the fgures around her, whose gestures animate the composition, giving it depth and
complexity. At left, wings and tunic ablaze with color, the angel protectively embraces
the young Saint John, his warm smile exuding kindness and grace. The little Baptist
is a perfect silhouette, his childlike expression conveying the eagerness with which
he accepts the blessing of the Christ child. At right, a passage of luminous, verdant
landscape is visible beneath the vivid, rising blue sky, undoubtedly inspired by the
atmospheric clarity of Fra Bartolommeo’s paintings.
Count Gaetano Susanni, in whose collection the present picture is recorded as early
as 1827, was chancellor to the last Dukes of Mantua. The Count’s renowned collection
was divided amongst members of the Susanni family in the mid-19th century; as a
result, some of the paintings were sold at Hôtel Drouot in 1868, including the present
work, which was lauded in the sale catalogue as of ‘simple and profound conception
[and] splended distribution of fgures’ (simple et profonde conception [et] splendide
distribution de son ensemble’ and for its ‘masterful’ (‘magistralement’) treatment of both
composition and color. Much of Count Susanni’s collection was enriched by pictures
formerly in the storied collection of the Dukes of Mantua themselves, and it is possible
that the present picture has such a prestigious earlier Mantuan provenance.

16
17
 PROPERTY FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART,
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE EUROPEAN PAINTINGS ACQUISITIONS FUND

104
PIERO DI GIOVANNI, CALLED LORENZO MONACO
and WORKSHOP
(?1370/75-c.1425/30 Florence)

The Madonna of Humility with adoring angels

tempera and gold on panel
35º x 22¿ in. (89.5 x 56.2 cm.)

$350,000-500,000
£240,000-330,000
€270,000-370,000
PROVENANCE: of Painting, The Hague, 1927, IX, p. 134, fg. 87, American Public Collections, Cambridge, 1972, p. 111,
Art market, Dover, England, where purchased by as Lorenzo Monaco. as Lorenzo Monaco.
the following. W. Suida, ‘Lorenzo Monaco’, in Allgemeines Lexikon M. Boskovits, Pittura forentina alla vigilia del
with Victor G. Fischer, Washington, D.C., by 1905, der bildenden Künstler, XXIII, Leipzig, 1929, p. 392, Rinascimento, 1370-1400, Florence, 1975, pp. 243,
from whom acquired in 1909 by the Metropolitan as Lorenzo Monaco. under note 200, 350, repeats earlier attributions to
Museum of Art, New York. B. Berenson, Pitture italiane del rinascimento, Milan, Lorenzo Monaco/Lorenzo Monaco and Workshop.
1936, p. 258, as Lorenzo Monaco. M. Laclotte and E. Mognetti, Inventaire des
LITERATURE: G. Pudelko, ‘The Stylistic Development of Lorenzo collections publiques françaises: Avignon - Musée du
O. Sirén, Don Lorenzo Monaco, Strasbourg, 1905, Monaco-I’, Burlington Magazine, LXXIII, no. 429, Petit Palais, Peinture Italienne, Paris, 1976, p. 119,
pp. 36-37, pl. V, as Lorenzo Monaco. Dec. 1938, p. 238, note 13, as Lorenzo Monaco. under no. 199, repeats Zeri’s attribution.
B. Burroughs, ‘Principal Accessions’, Bulletin of the H.B. Wehle, A Catalogue of Italian, Spanish and M. Laclotte and E. Mognetti, Avignon, musée du
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, IV, no. 8, Byzantine Paintings, New York, 1940, pp. 18-19, Petit Palais: Peinture italienne, Paris, 1987, p. 129,
August 1909, pp. 141-142, as Lorenzo Monaco. as Lorenzo Monaco. under no. 119, repeats Zeri’s attribution.
B. Berenson, The Florentine Painters of the P. de Montebello, ‘Four Prophets by Lorenzo M. Eisenberg, Lorenzo Monaco, Princeton, 1989, pp.
Renaissance, New York and London, 1909, p. 154, Monaco’, Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XXV, 150-151, fg. 141, as Workshop of Lorenzo Monaco.
as Lorenzo Monaco. no. 4, Dec. 1966, pp. 164-166, fg. 14, as Lorenzo E. Skaug, Punch marks from Giotto to Fra Angelico,
M. Bernath, New York und Boston, mit 143 Monaco. Oslo, 1994, I, p. 284, as Lorenzo Monaco.
Abbildungen, Leipzig, 1912, p. 68, as Lorenzo F. Zeri with E.E. Gardner, Italian Paintings: A M. Laclotte and E. Moench, Peinture italienne:
Monaco. Catalogue of the Collection of the Metropolitan musée du Petit Palais Avignon, Paris, 2005, p. 125,
V. Lazareff, ‘Una Madonna di Lorenzo Monaco Museum of Art, Florentine School, New York, 1971, under no. 129, repeats Zeri’s attribution.
a Mosca’, L’Arte, XXVII, 1924, p. 124, as Lorenzo pp. 67-68, as Workshop of Lorenzo Monaco. A. G. de Marchi, Revelations: Discoveries and
Monaco. B.B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre- Rediscoveries in Italian Primitive Art, Rome, 2013,
R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian Schools Nineteeth-Century Italian Paintings in North pp. 49-50, fg. 41.

B orn Pietro di Giovanni, Lorenzo Monaco entered the

Camaldolese monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in
Florence in 1391 and adopted the monastic name Lorenzo.
cit.) has argued that while executed by a close associate, the
design of the present work must have been invented by the
master himself. Zeri suggests The Madonna of Humility was
Renowned for his narrative inventiveness, subtle color painted c. 1405-1410, while Eisenberg (loc. cit.) favors a dating
harmonies, and elegance of design, Lorenzo ‘brought to a of c. 1408-1410.
peak of refnement the traditional character of late Trecento Zeri also observed that the same artist in Lorenzo’s studio
paintings and introduced an element of poetry and fantasy to its was likely responsible for the Saint Laurence Triptych of 1407
worn-out set of conventions’ (De Montebello, op. cit., p. 156). (Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon and Pinacoteca Vaticana,
The present Madonna of Humility exemplifes Lorenzo’s Rome). Michelle Laclotte (loc. cit.) described the Saint Laurence
characteristically lyrical imagery and also reveals the keen sense Triptych as ‘Lorenzo Monaco and Workshop’ and suggested
of color and sinuous, curvilinear forms that made him a pioneer that, as in the present work, the composition was designed by
of the luxurious, sophisticated style commonly referred to as Lorenzo himself and executed under his supervision. Eisenberg
the ‘International Gothic’. In the present work, the majestic (ibid.) tentatively ascribes the Avignon-Rome triptych to
Madonna is typical of Lorenzo’s noble fgure types, while the Bartolomeo Fruosino (c. 1366-1441), who he posits may also
delicately modulated shades of pink, purple and blue show his have had a hand in the execution of the present panel.
highly refned coloristic sensibility. A Madonna in Humility in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts,
Though long attributed to the master himself, more recent Moscow (catalogued by Eisenberg as ‘Workshop of Lorenzo
scholarship has convincingly associated this Madonna of Humility Monaco’), repeats the composition of the present work, and
with an artist in Lorenzo’s workshop, which included, among a tondo which repeats the central portion was formerly in the
others, the young Fra Angelico. However, Federico Zeri (loc. collection of the Earl of Southesk (see A.G. De Marchi, loc. cit.).
18
19
 PROPERTY FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART,
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE EUROPEAN PAINTINGS ACQUISITIONS FUND

105
THE MASTER OF THE PLUMP-CHEEKED MADONNAS
(active Bruges, frst quarter of the 16th century)

The Virgin and Child with Saints Dominic, Augustine, Margaret and Barbara
oil on canvas, transferred from panel
38æ x 51 in. (98.4 x 129.5 cm.)

$400,000-600,000
£270,000-400,000
€300,000-450,000

PROVENANCE: LITERATURE:
David P. Sellar, London; his sale, Galerie Georges A. Alexandre, ‘La Collection de M. Jean Dolfus’, Les
Petit, Paris, 6 June 1889, lot 27, as Gerard David. arts, III, 1904, p. 4, as Gerard David.
Jean Dollfus, Paris, by 1904; (†), Galerie Georges H. Frantz, ‘La curiosité: collections Jean Dollfus
Petit, Paris, 1 April 1912, lot 83, as Gerard David (tableaux anciens, objets d’art),’ L’art décoratif,
(50,000 FF to Seligmann). XXVI, 5 May 1912, pp. 290-291, as Gerard David.
with Jacques Seligmann, Paris, from whom S. Reinach, Répertoire de peintures du moyen age et
acquired in 1926 by de la renaissance (1280-1580), V, Paris, 1922, p. 414,
Georges Blumenthal, New York, by whom as attributed to Gerard David.
bequeathed in 1941 to S. Rubinstein-Bloch, ‘Paintings-Early Schools,’
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Catalogue of the Collection of George and Florence
Blumenthal, I, Paris, 1926, pl. 50, as possibly by
EXHIBITED: Adrian Isenbrandt.
Colorado, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Old H.B. Wehle and M. Salinger, The Metropolitan
Masters from the Metropolitan, 24 April-30 June Museum of Art: A Catalogue of Early Flemish, Dutch
1949 (no catalogue). and German Paintings, New York, 1947, pp. 119-120,
Lexington, Washington and Lee University, The as ‘Ambrosius Benson (?)’.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Loan Exhibit, 30 October F. Bologna, ‘Nuove attribuzioni a Jan Provost,’
1950-15 January 1951, no. 1, as Ambrosius Benson. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts Bulletin, V, 1956,
Athens, Georgia Museum of Art, University of p. 29, n. 18, as not by Benson and related to
Georgia, 15 February-5 April 1951 (no catalogue). Provoost.
Oxford, Ohio, School of Fine Arts, Miami University, G. Marlier, Ambrosius Benson et la peinture à Bruges
1 November-5 December 1952 (no catalogue). au temps de Charles-Quint, Damme, 1957, p. 335,
Dallas, Dallas Museum of Art, Religious Art of the no. 264, as not by Benson.
Western World, 23 March-25 May 1958 E. Larsen. Les primitifs famands au Musée
(no catalogue). Metropolitain de New York, Utrecht, 1960, p. 82,
Wilkes-Barre, Miners National Bank, Loan as attributed to Ambrosius Benson.
Exhibition from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1-15 G. Seligman, Merchants of Art: 1880-1960, Eighty
December 1964, no. 3, as Ambrosius Benson. Years of Professional Collecting, New York, 1961,
Columbus, Georgia, Columbus Museum of Arts and p. 120, as Flemish Primitive.
Crafts, A Centenary of a Great Museum: Old Master M.W. Ainsworth and K. Christiansen, eds., From Van
Paintings, 1 November 1969-31 October 1970. Eyck to Bruegel: Early Netherlandish Painting in The
Billings, Montana, Yellowstone Art Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, exhibition catalogue,
Christmas-the Nativity, 1-31 December 1978 New York, 1998, p. 407, as Netherlandish (Antwerp)
(no catalogue). Painter, 1510.
Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue Art Museum, Five D. Martens, ‘Le Maître aux Madones Joufflues:
Thousand Years of Faces, 30 January-30 July 1983 Essai de monographie sur un anonyme brugeois du
(entry by T. Schlotterback). XVIme siècle,’ Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch LXI, 2000,
pp. 112-115, 141, n. 23, figs. 1, 6, 15.
D. Martens, ‘Une oeuvre méconnue du Maître aux
Madones Joufflues,’ Cahiers du Musée des Beaux-
Arts de Lyon, 2002, pp. 30-31.

20
I n 2000, Didier Martens assembled a group of seven
paintings around this serene altarpiece, which he
considered to be the most important work by an
Antioch wished to marry her, but she refused and was
jailed. While praying for her true enemy to be revealed,
she was swallowed whole by the devil in the form of
anonymous Bruges painter active in the frst half of a dragon. After making the sign of the cross, she burst
the 16th century (op. cit.). Stylistically, these paintings forth unscathed, and as such became the patron saint of
resemble the mature work of Gerard David and Ambrosius pregnant women. Dressed in an elegant green gown with
Benson, yet are distinguished by the idiosyncratically golden damask sleeves, the radiant Margaret reads from
rounded, full faces of the fgures. On the basis of this key her prayer book while gesturing in benediction with her
and consistent identifying trait, Martens named the artist right hand. As Martens has noted (ibid., p. 114), similar
‘The Master of the Plump-Cheeked Madonnas’. fgures are found in the wings of two Bruges altarpieces,
The present picture is a sacra conversazione, a format the frst by the Master of Saint Ildefonse (Musée de
popular in mid-15th-century Italy, in which saints from Cluny, Paris), and the second by a follower of Pieter
different epochs are grouped together in a single space. Pourbus (Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels). In
The Virgin and Child are enthroned within a vast, the present painting, Saint Barbara appears at far right,
verdant landscape with carefully-observed architecture in holding a martyr’s palm and standing before the tower
the distance. They are attended by a court of two male in which she was imprisoned by her father, Dioscurus,
and two female saints, arranged in a frieze-like manner. to protect her from suitors. These four saints would have
As Martens has observed, the Mary and Christ fgures been selected by the patrons, and may have held special
appear to have been inspired by the designs of Rogier signifcance for the owners of the chapel where the panel
van der Weyden, which were still widely circulating was originally displayed. While no donor fgures are
in Bruges around 1500. Martens further noted that present, they may have appeared with additional saints
the pattern for the Virgin and Child was also used in a in altar wings as this panel likely once formed the central
painting formerly in the Musées de Liège by a painter in element of a triptych.
the Circle of Joos van Cleve (ibid., pp. 114-155, fg 3.). The detailed treatment of the vegetation in the
Saint Dominic (1170-1221), the founder of the foreground is reminiscent of tapestries, the costliest and
Dominican Order, stands at the far left, dressed in most luxurious art form of the 16th century. Many
his black and white habit. Before him is a dog with a of the fowering plants and herbs are identifable and
lighted torch in its mouth, the traditional emblem of the were chosen for their symbolic signifcance, including
Dominicans, who, due to the ferociousness of their faith wild strawberries, snapdragons, dandelions (a symbol
and as a pun on Saint Dominic’s name, were known of Christ’s passion), sage, and lily of the valley. Such a
as the “dogs of God” (domini canes). Saint Augustine meticulous description of plant life is typical of Bruges
of Hippo (354-430) stands to his right, wearing a red painting of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and is
and gold mitre decorated with an embossed relief of often found in the work of artists active in the circle of
the Virgin and Child standing on a crescent moon. He Gerard David. Sensitively-rendered details such as the
holds a crozier and a heart, a symbol of his religious refection of the trees on the surface of the water and the
fervor. Flanking the Virgin is Saint Margaret trampling minute travelers in the background point to the Master’s
a dragon. According to the Golden Legend, the Prefect of talent for combining spiritual vision with earthly beauty.
 PROPERTY FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART,
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE EUROPEAN PAINTINGS ACQUISITIONS FUND

106
NETHERLANDISH SCHOOL, FOURTH
QUARTER OF THE 15TH CENTURY
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
oil and gold on panel
16¿ x 11æ in. (41 x 29.8 cm.)

$250,000-350,000
Q170,000-230,000
€190,000-260,000

PROVENANCE:
Lacombe, Paris, until 1909, when sold to the
following.
with Kleinberger, New York and Paris, 1909-1910,
A s recounted in the Golden Legend, Saint Catherine lived in the 4th century
and was the daughter of King Costus of Alexandria. A devout convert to
Christianity, Catherine rebelled against the Roman Emperor Maxentius, who had
as the Master of the Legend of St. Lucia, from commanded her people to sacrifce to idols. Moved by their suffering and repulsed
whom acquired by by animal sacrifce, she met with Maxentius and denounced his pagan practices so
George D. Pratt (d. 1935), Glen Cove, N.Y., as the
eloquently and vehemently that neither the emperor nor his ffty brightest orators
Master of St. Lucy, and by inheritance to his widow
Vera Amherst Hale Pratt, 1935-44. could counter her arguments. The orators converted to Christianity, but the emperor,
Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art by who was smitten with the virtuous princess, condemned her to be killed by a machine
bequest from George D. Pratt in 1935. with spiked wheels. Just before her execution, Catherine prayed to God, who struck
down the horrible contraption. Maxentius, undeterred by this divine intervention,
LITERATURE:
A. Priest, ‘Loans from the Collection of George D. ordered her beheading instead.
Pratt’, Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XXXV, In the present panel, a magnifcent Catherine stands triumphantly over the body of
December 1940, p. 237, as Circle of the Master of the emperor, next to the broken wheel. She is dressed in a lavish, gold-embroidered
the Saint Ursula Legend.
gown, trimmed in ermine and ornamented with pearls (symbolizing her purity)
H.B. Wehle and M. Salinger, The Metropolitan
Museum of Art: A Catalogue of Early Flemish, Dutch and other precious stones. Her turbaned crown lends her an exotic, yet regal fare
and German Paintings, New York, 1947, p. 77. appropriate for this Egyptian princess. In her left hand she holds an open book, her
E. Larsen, Les primitifs famands au Musée attribute as the patron saint of scholars and students. In the distance, Catherine kneels
Metropolitain de New York, Utrecht, 1960, p. 77. in prayer before her executioner; above them, in accordance with her hagiography,
R.H. Wilenski. Flemish Painters, 1430-1830, New
York, 1960, I, pp. 40-42, 44, 46, 52; II, pl. 109.
two angels carry her body away to be buried near Mt. Sinai. Several buildings are
M.W. Ainsworth and K. Christiansen, From Van visible beneath the blue haze of the horizon. The tallest tower, fanked by two
Eyck to Bruegel: Early Netherlandish Painting in The shorter pinnacles, resembles that of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk in Bruges, the city
Metropolitan Museum of Art, exhibition catalogue, where this panel was painted. Formerly attributed to the Master of Saint Lucy, the
New York, 1998, p. 405.
present work may be compared to a panel by that master in the Johnson Collection
in Philadelphia (cat. 326), datable to c. 1482, in which the city is more clearly
represented. In the early 20th century, R.H. Wilenski proposed that the author of
the present panel may have travelled to Italy at some point in his career, which could
account for the unusual presence of cypresses in the background (op. cit., pp. 41, 46).
The sharp, thrusting forms of these trees echoes the spikes of her broken wheel, and
accentuates the verticality of the painting’s major compositional elements: Catherine’s
elongated body, Maxentius’s scepter, the wheel’s posts and the landscape itself.

22
23
 107
ATTRIBUTED TO SEVERO DA RAVENNA
(Ravenna c. 1496- c. 1543)
C. 1510-1530
A bronze model of a mermaid candleholder
With arms outstretched, lacking nozzles; on a bird-claw foot
9Ω in. (23.7 cm.) high, overall

$200,000-300,000
£140,000-200,000
€150,000-220,000
PROVENANCE:
Julius Goldschmidt (1882-1964).
with Frank Partridge & Sons,
from whom acquired on 21 March 1941 (£250) by
Sir Henry Price; [The Price Collection sale],
Sotheby’s, London, 22 November 2000, lot 53.

LITERATURE:
A. Luchs, The Mermaids of Venice: Fantastic Sea
Creatures in Venetian Renaissance Art, Belgium,
2010, pp. 163-164, fgs. 211 and 221 (different
casts).
Frankfurt, Liebieghaus Museum alter Plastik, Natur
und Antike in der Renaissance, 5 December 1985 -
2 March 1986, p. 356, no. 226 (different casts).
L. Planiscig, Andrea Riccio, Vienna, 1927,
pp. 480-481 (different casts).

24
S evero, son of a Ferrarese sculptor, was probably born in
Ravenna, where he is frst documented in 1496. By 1500
he had moved to Padua, but he left in 1509, when Maximilian
of which is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (DYCE
993). In the present work, a mermaid stands on a claw foot,
with arms outstretched to hold candle nozzles (now missing).
I attacked that city. Returning to Ravenna, Severo apparently Praised by Pomponius Gauricus, a writer who knew him,
settled there, establishing a hugely successful shop that produced as a sculptor excellent in all media and as a painter, Severo was
a large number of bronze objects for everyday use with subjects highly regarded in his lifetime but has long been neglected. A
taken from antiquity. He was clearly infuenced by the spirit notable difference in quality distinguishes Severo’s best works
of pagan humanism that had been given a new impetus at the from the perfunctory later efforts of his shop, which continued
University of Padua in the late 15th-century. Fantastical sea to thrive after his death. The present bronze is evidently
creatures derived from classical antiquity became a favored motif superior to many other known versions of the current model
of sculptors and painters active in Padua. Andrea Mantegna in the refnement of the details, including a version in the
used the theme frequently in his drawings and engravings, such National Gallery of Art, Washington (inv. 2001.85.1).
as in the Battle of the Sea Gods (c. 1475-1488), an impression

25
 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

108
GIOVANNI DA BOLOGNA
(documented in Venice and Treviso 1377-1389)

The Crucifxion with the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist
tempera and gold on panel, arched top, in an engaged frame
60¿ x 30¡ in. (165.4 x 77.2 cm.)

$500,000-700,000
£340,000-470,000
€380,000-520,000

PROVENANCE:
Baron Detlev von Hadeln, Florence.
with Wildenstein, March 1955.
Private European Collection.
T his splendid Crucifxion has been attributed to the rare, fascinating artist Giovanni
da Bologna, one of the most faithful pupils of Lorenzo Veneziano (f. 1356-
1372), the leading Venetian painter of the second half of the 14th century. Although
Giovanni’s career remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, recent efforts to reassess his
LITERATURE: development have uncovered numerous documents, including several which show
C. Guarnieri, ‘Per un corpus della pittura veneziana
that he worked in Treviso in the late 1370s and early 1380s. He is also recorded as
del Trecento al Tempo di Lorenzo’, Saggi e memorie
di storia dell’arte, XXX, 2008, p. 33. living in Venice from 1383-1385, where he seems to have primarily remained for the
rest of his career, writing his will in that city in October 1389. Four signed works by
him survive: a Virgin and Child with Saints in the Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice; a
Virgin and Child with Angels in the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan; a Saint Christopher in
the Museo Civico, Padua; and a Coronation of the Virgin in the Denver Art Museum.
Although the frst two are considered earlier works, neither is dated. The Saint
Christopher, identifed as a 1377 commission for the Scuola dei Mercanti in Venice,
provides the only fxed point around which scholars are able to base their studies of
this enigmatic and intriguing painter.
As his name implies, Giovanni was probably born in Bologna, but likely trained
further north in Italy in the wake of Lorenzo Veneziano. He seems to have had
contact with the Bolognese painter Jacopo degli Avanzi, active in Padua in the third
quarter of the Trecento, with whom he shares a tendency for emphasizing narrative
and naturalistic effects: here, for instance, the angels fanking the cross beat their breast
(left) and rend their hair (right) with anguish, while the green-gray fesh of Christ’s
limp body is especially affecting, his overstretched, bony limbs and exposed ribs meant
to instill in the viewer empathy for his physical suffering.
As Cristina Guarnieri has noted, many scholars have characterized Giovanni’s
works as “the most faithful representation of the fusion of the Bolognese style with
that of Venice” (“il più felice rappresentante della fusione dei caratteri bolognesi con quelli
veneziani”), and consider the painter among the most important to blend the more
modern art of the terrafrma with the archaic, Byzantinizing style of the Veneto (op. cit.,
p. 32). As this vigorously expressive, boldly colored Crucifxion shows, Giovanni’s art
is a precious document of the melting-pot of styles in northern Italy at the end of the
14th century: the gothic, archaizing designs of the Venetian Trecento; the confdent
plasticity of the Giottesque tradition in Padua; and the captivating, linear rhythms of
the art from across the Alps.

26
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 109
JACOPO DE’BARBARI
(?Venice c. 1460/70-1516 Mechelen or Brussels)

Head of Christ (Salvator Mundi)

inscribed ‘IHS’ (lower center, on the collar)
oil on panel
16Ω x 12 in. (41.9 x 30.5 cm.)

$400,000-600,000
£270,000-400,000
€300,000-450,000

EXHIBITED:
London, The Walpole Gallery, The Cinquecento,
12 June-26 July 1991, no. 1.

LITERATURE:
F. Checa Cremades in Reyes y mecenas: los Reyes
Católicos, Maximiliano I y los inicios de la casa de
Austria en España, Milan, 1992, p. 296, as possibly
by Fernando Yañez.
F. B. Doménech in Ferrando Spagnuolo e altri
maestri iberici nell’Italia di Leonardo e Michelangelo,
exhibition catalogue, Florence, 1998, pp. 98-99,
fg. 8.2, under cat. no. 8, as attributed to Jacopo de’
Barbari.

28
29
 I n a 1503 letter to Frederick III (the Wise), Elector of Saxony,
Jacopo de’ Barbari proclaimed that painting holds the power
to show us “the way to immortality”, by “making visible what
painting, suggesting that he must by then have made a name
for himself as a portraitist. In 1503, De’ Barbari moved to
Wittenberg and entered the service of Frederick the Wise.
in nature is both palpable and visible” (“crea visible quello che la He appears to have left that city by 1506, and his subsequent
natura cera palpabile e visibile”). This hypnotic image of Christ patrons included Philip of Burgundy, Bishop of Utrecht, and
as Salvator Mundi illustrates that ideal, bringing the Redeemer Margaret of Austria, daughter of Maximilian, for whom he
to life with striking immediacy: the limpid, sorrowful, green- worked at the courts of Mecklenburg and Brandenburg in 1507
grey eyes set below slightly furrowed brows are set off by the and 1508, respectively.
strong, proud nose and austere, reddish-brown beard, in which The present work is a recent, signifcant addition to De’
individual curls are painstakingly highlighted with the tip of Barbari’s small oeuvre. It relates to two other Salvator Mundi
the brush. The vividly described physical details enhance the pictures by the artist, one in the Schlossmuseum, Weimar,
psychological impact of the picture. Though glorifed by the and the other in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden, both datable
prominent cruciform halo above his head and the Holy Name to c. 1503. All three exemplify the types of works by De’
inscribed in gold on his collar, Christ here seems introspective Barbari that seem to have had a powerful impact on the young
and even plaintive, as if imploring the viewer to contemplate Albrecht Dürer, who probably met De’ Barbari on an early
the meaning of his sacrifce more deeply. The dark, blank trip to Venice, around 1494. As Joseph Koerner has argued, it
background enhances the timelessness of this devotional image may have been through De’ Barbari that Dürer frst “became
and underscores its somber mood. acquainted with the antique canon of human proportions,
Little is known of Jacopo de’ Barbari’s activity and training awakening his lifelong preoccupation with the question of
in Italy prior to 1500, though he was almost certainly Venetian beauty” (J. L. Koerner, The Moment of Self-Portraiture in German
by birth or adoption. He may have trained in Venice with Renaissance Art, Chicago, 1993, p. 116). Indeed, when Dürer
Alvise Vivarini in the 1490s, the decade to which his earliest drafted the introduction to his treatise on human proportions
surviving pictures date, and scholars have also noted the in 1523, he credited De’ Barbari in this regard.
probable infuence of Antonello da Messina. Between 1497 Like the Dresden and Weimar pictures, the present work
and 1500, De’ Barbari produced his famed View of Venice, probably dates to c. 1500-1505, when De’ Barbari was working
a monumental woodcut in Nuremberg and Wittenberg among artists and theologians
whose birds-eye view exhibiting renewed interest in the discovery and replication of
of the city earned him “authentic” images of Christ. The fruitwood panel support,
great renown. This typical of German paintings of this period, also points to a
success also drew the Northern origin. Around this time De’ Barbari reconnected
attention of Northern with Dürer in Nuremberg, where in 1500 the German artist
merchants living in had painted his famed Self-Portrait (Alte Pinakothek, Munich).
Venice, including the Like the Dresden picture, the present Salvator Mundi is indebted
Nuremberg-based Anton to Dürer’s Self-Portrait in its thin application of paint, virtuoso
Kolb, who probably rendering of Christ’s hair, and singular intensity of expression.
introduced him to his De’ Barbari’s work had a lasting infuence on the early
frst German patron, careers of a number of contemporary Northern masters such
Emperor Maximilian as Albrecht Altdorfer, Jan Gossaert, and Lucas Cranach I. The
I. In 1500, De’ Barbari latter, in fact, owned several pictures by De’ Barbari, including
relocated to Nuremberg the Dresden Salvator Mundi, which was copied faithfully in
and became court artist a woodcut by his son, Lucas Cranach II, who eventually
(fg. 1) Albrecht Dürer, Self portrait at the age to Maximilian, who inherited the painting.
of twenty-eight / Alte Pinakothek, Munich, employed him expressly We are grateful to Dr. Bernard Aikema for confrming the
Germany / The Bridgeman Art Library. for contrafeten, or portrait attribution to Jacopo de’ Barbari on the basis of photographs.

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 110
STEFANO CERNOTTO
(documented Venice, 1530-1548)

The Poet Laureate

oil and gold on panel, convex, circular
18 in. (45.7 cm.) diameter

$100,000-150,000
£67,000-100,000
€75,000-110,000

O ften confused with Bonifazio de’ Pitati—to whom this work has been attributed
several times in the past—Stefano Cernotto was a Dalmatian painter active in
Venice from 1530 until at least 1548. Cernotto’s quirky style and miniaturist interest
in detail, evident in the present work, are also apparent in the paintings he contributed
in the 1530s, along with Bonifazio, to the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi, which housed
PROVENANCE: a succession of Venetian fnancial magistrates. Like Bonifazio, Cernotto was an
Baron Lipphart, Berlin. important exponent of the Giorgionesque idiom in Venice, where he was a proponent
Professor Lanz, Amsterdam. of a similar conservative style that hearkened back to older masters such as Giorgione,
Archduke Albrecht of Austria, Duke of Teschen;
Titian and Bellini.
Galerie Fischer, Lucerne, 26-30 June 1962,
lot 1418 (FF 12,000). In his Recherches sur les Po’tes couronnez, Jean-François Du Bellay, Abbé du Resnel
with Julius Böhler, Munich, 1964. (1692-1761), declared that the custom of crowning poets with wreathes of laurel
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London, 30 November leaves was as ancient as poetry itself. Abolished as a pagan institution during the reign
1983, lot 13.
of Emperor Theodosius (347-395), the tradition is thought to have been revived by
Anonymous sale; Christie’s, New York, 21 May
1992, lot 51, where acquired by the present owner. Petrarch (1304-1374), but is also mentioned in the earlier writings of Boccaccio and
Dante, the latter of whom longed to receive the honor in his native Florence, from
which he had been exiled. This delicately painted work, formerly identifed simply
as a ‘Pastoral Allegory’, is an intimate rendition of this romantic theme: a wizened
poet in a brocaded, fur-trimmed robe kneels humbly at center, supporting himself on
his arm. Leaning forward with apparent anticipation, he gazes up towards a female
fgure—who may represent his creative Muse—about to crown him with a wreath
of laurels. A young man looks on holding a recorder, a motif frequently found in
Venetian pastoral scenes in the Renaissance. On the left is a passage of peaceful
landscape, in which a traveler makes his way towards a distant city which, as evident
by the gondola on the body of water in front of it, is certainly meant to represent
Venice.
Though relatively rare in western art, the subject of the present picture seems
to have been popular in northern Italy, as an Homage to a Poet by a follower of
Giorgione (London, National Gallery, inv. NG1173), and an Apollo Crowning a Poet
by Jacopo Tintoretto (Kingston Lacy, UK National Trust), attest. The convex shape
of the present work suggests it may originally have embellished a piece of furniture
or cassone (marriage chest) or may have served as a parade shield for public pageantry
such as a triumphal procession. It has been suggested that the present work is a
pendant to the work sold with the attribution to Domenico Campagnola at Sotheby’s,
London, 12 November 2013, lot 91. Together with that work, which depicts An
Allegory of Painting, the present panel can be seen as an illustration of the Horatian
maxim ‘Ut pictura poesis’ (‘As is painting, so is poetry’), which continued to inspire
engaged discussion in the 16th century.
We are grateful to Mauro Lucco for suggesting the attribution to Stefano Cernotto
on the basis of photographs. Dott. Lucco’s article devoted to Cernotto, ‘Occultato
nell’ombra di Bonifacio Veronese: disvelamento di Stefano Cernotto’ (Artibus et
Historiae, 2013, forthcoming), provides a thorough re-evaluation of the artist’s career
and is a signifcant contribution to the scholarship on this intriguing painter.

32
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 111
LORENZO LOTTO
(Venice c. 1480-1556 Loreto)

The Holy Family with Saint Catherine of Alexandria

signed ‘L. Lotus’ (lower center, on the ledge)
oil on canvas
33æ x 43¬ in. (85.7 x 110.8 cm.)

$2,000,000-3,000,000
£1,400,000-2,000,000
€1,500,000-2,200,000

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, France (probably from the 18th
century through the 1940s).
Private collection, Switzerland.
Private collection, New York.

LITERATURE:
F. Caroli, ‘Una nuova redazione della “Sacra
Famiglia con Santa Caterina d’Alessandria” di
Lorenzo Lotto’, Arte Documento, II, 1988, pp. 82-85.
M. Lucco, ‘Tre Schede per Lorenzo Lotto’, in
Hommage à Michel Laclotte: Etudes sur la peinture du
Moyen Age et de la Renaissance, Paris, 1994, p. 356
note 29.
D.A. Brown et al., Lorenzo Lotto: Rediscovered Master
of the Renaissance, exhibition catalogue, New
Haven and London, 1997, p. 182, under no. 37
(entry by P. Humfrey).
R. Simon, From Sacred to Sensual: Italian Paintings,
1400-1750, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1998,
pp. 28-31.

34
35
 T his poignant and refned depiction of The Holy Family
with Saint Catherine of Alexandria was acknowledged as
an important new addition to Lotto’s canon when it was
and the papal states of the Marches, than in Venice itself. While
Lotto’s most important patrons were from the provinces, they
were rarely provincial: his private patrons were often wealthy
rediscovered and published by Flavio Caroli in 1988. Fully and included prominent professionals, merchants and members
signed by the artist with ‘L.Lotus’, it was recognized by Caroli of the nobility, and the confraternities that commissioned
as one of at least seven versions of the composition by (or altarpieces from him were distinguished community institutions
attributed to) Lotto. A beautiful version, also signed and dated in prestigious and highly visible locations. A visionary, even
1533, is in the Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, where it has eccentric artist of profound religious piety, Lotto produced
been admired since it was acquired from the Milanese count enigmatic paintings of deep but ambiguous emotion and
Guglielmo Lochis in the 19th century. Lesser versions are in psychology and of sometimes elusive symbolism which fell
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg; the Museum of Fine Arts, out of favor throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries,
Houston; the Osmitz Collection, Bratislava; a private collection but have proven especially intriguing to modern viewers. In
in Italy; and Palazzo Rospigliosi, Rome. reviewing the large exhibition of Lotto’s paintings held in 1997
Although the present painting has been widely recognized in Washington, Bergamo and Paris, Francis Haskell observed
as fully autograph and rivalled in quality by the Accademia that “beautiful as were all of the paintings [...]—in feeling, in
Carrarra canvas alone, it has rarely been exhibited and was color, in design—most of them seem different from the works
disfgured by heavy-handed repaints until its restoration in of Giorgione, Titian, Palma Vecchio, and other Venetian
2012. It can now be seen properly for the frst time in many masters in one very striking way. They convey an impression
years, and the delicacy of its execution, brilliance of its palette not of serenity and sensuality, but of restlessness and tension.”
and subtlety of expression can at last be fully appreciated. For Bernard Berenson, a century earlier (1895), Lotto was,
Unlike the Accademia Carrara version, which is inscribed above all, an artist of the most acute psychological insight,
with the date 1533, the present picture has been alternatively comparable to Tolstoy and Henry James. In his testamentary
placed somewhat earlier (c.1529 according to Caroli), and will, Lotto would describe himself in a poignant aside as “old,
considerably later. Most recently it has been situated— alone, without any stable domestic arrangements, and very
convincingly—by both Mauro Lucco and Peter Humfrey, anxious of mind”.
in the 1540s, when the painter was working in Venice and The present Holy Family with Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Treviso. Humfrey cites the “simpler color scheme, reduction displays the characteristics of Lotto’s works which contemporary
of detail, and broader handling” of the present work in connoisseurs so admire: his brilliant and high-keyed coloring;
comparison to the Bergamo canvas as consistent with Lotto’s the strong and tender emotions conveyed by the fgures; and
later style. This powerful but simplifed handling can be found his unconventional approach to traditional Renaissance subject
in other works of the 1540s, including the austere Portrait of matter. The subject matter of this devotional image is itself
a Man in a Felt Hat (c. 1541; National Gallery of Canada, entirely standard and follows a compositional formula derived
Ottawa); the Saint Jerome (c. 1544; Doria Pamphili, Rome); from Bellini and his workshop in Venice, with a three-quarter
the Madonna and Child with Saints Zaccaria and John the Baptist length Holy Family with a Saint arranged horizontally in front
(c. 1546; Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan); and the Family Portrait of a lyrical landscape background. Titian had mastered the
(c. 1547; National Gallery, London). format years earlier in small-scale domestic paintings such as The
Lorenzo Lotto was one of the greatest and most singular Madonna and Child in the Bache collection at the Metropolitan
masters of the High Renaissance in Italy, a contemporary of Museum of Art, New York, of c. 1510 and the Virgin with
Giorgione, Bellini and Titian and their equal in genius, if not a Rabbit c. 1530 in the Louvre, Paris, and Lotto had earlier
infuence or enduring familiarity. Born in Venice around 1480, employed it to great effect in the Virgin and Child with Saints
Lotto had a successful but peripatetic career, fnding perhaps Jerome and Nicholas of Tolentino (c. 1524; two versions, National
greater and more consistent success working for churches and Gallery, London; and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). In the
prominent local collectors in Bergamo, Treviso, the Veneto present painting, Lotto employs the elements with a masterly

36
fuency and ease, the result of years of experience working in and his closed eyes allude to his future Passion and death, it is
the genre. The subtle yet complex play of light and shade, the the naturalism of the scene, coupled with its deep humanity
atmospheric beauty and naturalism of the deeply receding valley that we feel as observers, and it is Lotto’s highly individual and
landscape and the bold and dramatic use of color and texture expressive painting style that captivates us.
create a surface of dazzling opulence and richness, the equal in The present, presumably later version of the composition
sophistication to the greatest works of Titian, Bellini or Palma differs in many details from the Bergamo version of 1533, and
Vecchio. it is evident that Lotto signifcantly rethought and revised the
Nevertheless, there is an ambiguity to the gestures and poses image. The Virgin is now clothed entirely in blue, rather than
of the Virgin and her aged husband as he unveils and displays the previous and more traditional blue and red, and her veil
the Christ Child’s naked body to Saint Catherine; although is now white. Her expression as well is less agitated, more
the Virgin smiles, she seems to recoil, raising a hand as if to placid, and the prayer book she holds is differently positioned.
block or prevent the sight. Exceptionally among devotional Joseph, too, is transformed, his tunic changed from blue to red,
images of this type, it is Joseph and not Mary who occupies his mantle from red to yellow. Saint Catherine here dresses
the heart of the composition and performs its principal action, in the blue and white that the Madonna wears and a single
presenting the candidly nude form of his son to the female saint strand of pearls runs through her hair, rather than the crown
who studies it reverently, but with unabashed directness. This and swag of pearls that she wears in the Bergamo picture; and
iconography is most unusual, and it has been suggested that the the tools of her martyrdom are an entirely new addition to the
exhibition of the Christ Child’s genitalia is related to one of the composition. Most signifcantly, the landscape background has
Revelations of Saint Bridget of Sweden, in which the Virgin been entirely reconceived: fner foliage surrounds the Virgin,
displayed the Child’s genitals to the shepherds at the Adoration while large fg leaves hang above Catherine; what had been a
to prove that he was the prophesied male Savior. However, the winding river background in the Bergamo painting has here
revelation here is carried out by Joseph to Catherine and would been transformed into a verdant valley of rolling hills.
seem rather to relate to the Mystic Marriage of Catherine to Despite these numerous differences, it is impossible to tell if
Christ. Catherine was a virgin martyr who in a divine vision it is the present painting, the Bergamo picture, or one of the
underwent a ‘mystic marriage’ with Christ; the implements of lesser versions of the composition that are referred to in the
her martyrdom are behind her in Lotto’s painting: the spiked earliest known citations mentioning the Holy Family with Saint
wheel to which she was to be bound and broken, and the sword Catherine of Alexandria, as Humfrey has noted. A picture by
used to behead her. It is part of the painting’s charm that Joseph Lotto of the full composition is recorded at least twice in the
unveils his handsome son with evident pride to his future, 17th century: frst mentioned in the will of Roberto Canonici
‘spiritual’ bride—assessing her reaction with studied interest— of Ferrarra, in 1632; then cited in the collection of Ambrogio
while Mary withdraws shyly from the scene. Although the Bembo of Venice, in 1663.
ledge on which the Child sleeps suggests a symbolic altar table

(fg. 1) Lorenzo Lotto, The Holy Family with a Donatrix as Saint Catherine of Alexandria / Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,
Texas, USA / The Samuel H. Kress Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library.

37
 PROPERTY FORMERLY FROM THE ESTATE OF BARBARA ESTRIDGE

112
LUDOVICO MAZZOLINO
(Ferrara c.1480-after 27 September 1528)

The Nativity, with the Procession of the Magi

oil and gold on panel
18 x 13¡ in. (45.7 x 34 cm.)

$150,000-250,000
£100,000-170,000
€120,000-190,000

PROVENANCE:
A.B. Godfrey, Brook House, Canterbury.
with Giuseppe Bellesi, London, 1948.
T his captivating Nativity is a rare surviving work by the Ferrarese painter Ludovico
Mazzolino, who specialized in fnely painted cabinet pictures of devotional
subjects and New Testament narrative scenes. Mazzolino was born around 1480
LITERATURE: in Ferrara, were he may have undertaken an early apprenticeship with one of that
S. Zamboni, Ludovico Mazzolino, Milan, 1968, p. 56, city’s preeminent painters, Ercole de’ Roberti. Mazzolino traveled at a young age
no. 67, fg. 5a.
to Bologna to study with Lorenzo Costa, but by 1504 is recorded back in Ferrara,
A. Ballarin, Dosso Dossi: La pittura a Ferrara negli
anni del Ducato di Alfonso I, Padua, 1995, I, pp. 234- where he received the important commission from Ercole I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara
235, no. 123; II, fg. 169. and Modena, to decorate eight chapels in the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli
(destroyed in 1604). Mazzolino’s early career consisted primarily of such prestigious
Este commissions, which also included works in the guardaroba and camerini of the
Duchessa Lucrezia Borgia in the Ferrara Castle (untraced).
The composition of this Nativity refects a type that frst appeared early in
Mazzolino’s career in a handful of small panel pictures, including depictions of the
subject in the Huber-Escher collection, Zurich; the Borghese Gallery, Rome; and the
National Gallery, London (see S. Zamboni, op. cit., nos. 35, 54, and 73). The present
panel, datable to c. 1513, is considered by Silla Zamboni to be the most mature of this
group. The principal composition, poetic mood and warm, variegated palette refect
Mazzolino’s awareness of Giorgione’s innovations, lending support to the theory that
he may have traveled to Venice and worked directly with Giorgione before settling
in Ferrara in 1509 (S. Zamboni, op. cit., p. 56). The full, gracefully-rounded drapery
folds and elegant pose of the elderly Saint Joseph may also refect the infuence of
Raphael, whose work Mazzolino could have seen in Ferrara in the Este collections.
The Madonna’s angular drapery folds and the irregular, craggy forms of the distant
hills, on the other hand, suggest Mazzolino’s study of Northern prints, which often
informed his work over the course of his career.
Among the most striking and original elements of this richly colored panel are the
freshly observed, animated vignettes scattered on the two cliffs in the background.
At left, the procession of the three Magi unfolds towards the foreground through a
distant ridge, populated by highly individualized, lively characters in Renaissance garb.
The three Kings themselves have reached the foot of the hill and turn towards each
other excitedly as their horses march ahead. At right, six doll-like saints - Francis,
Mary Magdalene, Jerome, Sebastian, John the Baptist, and Benedict - populate the
steeply sloping hillside, vehemently enacting the narrative moment for which each is
best-known. Similar charmingly eccentric, diminutive fgures appear in Mazzolino’s
Nativity of c. 1510-1511 formerly in the Hertz Collection, London and the Adoration
of the Shepherds of c. 1512-1513 in the Galleria Capitolina, Rome. These motifs,
as Zamboni has noted, may have been inspired by the work of his Bolognese
contemporary Amico Aspertini (1474/5-1552), with whom Mazzolino may have had
some connection at this time (S. Zamboni, op. cit., p. 56).

38
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 113
LOMBARD SCHOOL, 16TH CENTURY
Theseus abandoning Ariadne on the island of Naxos
tempera on panel
9¡ x 19¡ in. (23.6 x 49.12 cm.)

$30,000-50,000
£20,000-33,000
€23,000-37,000
A ccording to ancient legend, Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete, fell
in love with the Greek hero Theseus and helped him defeat the Minotaur in her
father’s Labyrinth. In gratitude, Theseus promised to marry her and together they fed
to the island of Naxos. Theseus soon grew tired of Ariadne, however, and abandoned
her while she slept, sailing home to Athens. In the present painting—which likely was
originally incorporated into a piece of furniture—the abandoned princess is seen in the
background, tearing at her breast and wailing in sorrow she watches Theseus sail away
with his new lover. Ignoring her, Theseus happily gestures toward the opposite shore.
According to the legend, Theseus’s mistreatment of Ariadne did not go unpunished:
in his haste to depart from Naxos, he forgot the promise that he had made to his father
before he embarked on his adventure: if he was successful, he would replace his ship’s
black sails with white ones. Upon seeing his son’s ship returning with the black sails
unfurled, Theseus’s father was flled with despair and cast himself into the sea.

40
114
POLIDORO DA LANCIANO
(Lanciano c. 1515-1565 Venice)

The Madonna and Child with the young Saint John the Baptist
oil on panel, octagonal
15Ω x 20 in. (39.3 X 50.8 cm.)

$30,000-50,000
£20,000-33,000
€23,000-37,000
A lthough never a formal pupil of Titian, Polidoro da Lanciano drew much
of his inspiration from the older master, and his works are often listed with
that attribution. Indeed, in the 19th century, the present work was thought to
PROVENANCE:
have been painted by Titian himself. In the 1540s, Polidoro was infuenced by the
Duke of Hamilton, Hamilton Palace; Christie’s on ornamental style of Bonifazio de’ Pitati —who had adapted the style pioneered by
the premises, 19 June-9 July 1882 (=5th day), his contemporary Palma Vecchio—and towards the end of his career, in the 1550s
lot 360, as Titian (27 gns. to the following).
and 1560s - by the decorative classicism of Veronese. His oeuvre is characterized by
Cyril Flower (1843-1907), 1st Baron Battersea.
Anthony G. de Rothschild, presented by him to the works like the present Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist, likely executed for
Red Cross; Christie’s, London, June 1940, lot 858, private devotion, in which delicately rendered, informally-posed fgures are set before
as Titian (100 gns. to Colthurst). an expansive mountainous vista or wooded landscape. As the number of such extant
pictures suggests, Polidoro’s religious works clearly enjoyed a signifcant degree of
EXHIBITED:
London, The New Gallery, Exhibition of Venetian Art,
popularity in 16th-century Venice. Indeed, Polidoro is described in Lodovico Dolce’s
1894-1895, no. 227, as Titian. Dialogue on Painting, which frst appeared in Venice in 1557, as among the twelve
outstanding painters in Italy.

41
 115
BATTISTA DOSSI
(Ferrara 1474-1548)

The Holy Family

oil on panel, arched top
17√ x 11Ω in. (45.4 x 29.2 cm.), with º in. (0.7 cm.) additions on all sides

$100,000-150,000
£67,000-100,000
€75,000-110,000

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Denmark.
T his charming, vividly colored Holy Family shows the rich palette, feeting light
effects, and atmospheric landscape populated with wild vegetation characteristic
of 16th-century painting in Ferrara. Battista Dossi, younger brother of the renowned
Dosso Dossi (c. 1486-1541/2), worked in conjunction with his brother for much of
his career in the service of the Este court in Ferrara. He may also have been employed
for some time in Raphael’s workshop in Rome, as a letter of 1520 from Giuseppe
Campori, the Ferrarese Dukes’ agent in Rome, suggests. Battista’s considerable
originality emerges most clearly in the works he painted independently, after his
brother’s death in 1542. During this period, he continued to receive important
commissions both from Duke Ercole II and Laura Dianti, former mistress of Duke
Alfonso. Securely attributable works from this phase of his career include a Venus and
Cupid in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the two remarkable, bizarre allegories
in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, part of a
series representing the different times of day commissioned in 1544 by Duke Ercole
to decorate the rooms in his newly appointed apartments at the Palazzo del Corte.
The present previously unpublished panel exemplifes Battista’s highly distinctive
and original style, showcasing his talents as a colorist and inventive compositional
designer. The dense, beautifully described foliage at right provides a striking contrast
to the sweeping panorama at left, in which two travelers make their way along a
winding path towards a distant town shrouded in a lavender fog before a remote,
hazy blue mountain range. The central fgures, whose intertwined hands provide the
central focus of the composition, are characterized by a liveliness and vivacity typical
of Battista’s style, Joseph’s futtering robes and windswept hair suggesting the alacrity
with which he has hurried to greet the seated Madonna and Christ child.

42
43
 º u 116
JACOPO DA PONTE, CALLED JACOPO BASSANO
(Bassano del Grappa c. 1510-1592)

The Adoration of the Shepherds

signed ‘iac.s/bassa [...]’ (lower right)
oil on canvas
28¡ x 44¿ in. (72 x 112 cm.)

$8,000,000-12,000,000
£5,400,000-8,000,000
€6,000,000-9,000,000

PROVENANCE:
James Morrison (d.1857), London.
Private Collection, England.
I n his sumptuous masterpiece, The Feast of the Marriage at Cana (Paris, Louvre;
fg. 1) Paolo Veronese places, just below the fgure of Christ, four musicians, each
in fact a portrait of one of the leading painters of the day. They are the artist himself,
EXHIBITED: Titian, Tintoretto and Jacopo Bassano. The inclusion of Bassano, who was at that
Paris, Grand Palais, Le Siècle de Titien. L’âge d’or de stage not even resident in Venice, is a powerful testament to the high standing which
la peinture à Venise, 9 March-14 June 1993,
he enjoyed as one of the greatest Venetian painters of his day. It is thus a fortuitous
no. 190 (catalogue entry by A. Ballarin).
Bassano del Grappa, Museo Civico, Jacopo Bassano coincidence that Veronese’s commission was executed at the very time, c. 1562-63,
e lo stupendo inganno dell’ occhio, 6 March-13 June, that this superb and highly important Adoration of the Shepherds was painted by Jacopo
2010, no. 29. Bassano. Just under a hundred years later, the biographer of Venetian painters, Carlo
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, on loan.
Ridolf, would compare him to Giovanni Bellini, Raphael, Leonardo, Giorgione,
LITERATURE:
Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese, citing specifcally his sensitivity to nature: “Jacopo
G. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain, II, 1854, da Bassano developed a new manner founded on the force of naturalism, which
p. 262. was uniquely his; this was appreciated not only by cognoscenti but universally....in
A. Ballarin, “La pala di San Rocco,” in Jacopo
particular this [found expression] in his depiction of animals so that the ox seems to
Bassano, exh. cat., Bassano del Grappa, Museo
Civico, 1992, p. CCXI. low, the sheep to bleat, the lion to roar and the cockerel to crow” (C. Ridolf, Le
A. Ballarin, Jacopo Bassano, Padua, 1995-1996, I, meraviglie dell’arte, overo le vite de gl’ illustri pittori veneti, e dello stato, Venice, 1648, pp.
pt. 1, fgs. 61, 76; I, pt. II, pp. 306, 327-331. 372, 373-74).
372-376; II, pt. 111, fgs. 401, 414-418. Bassano’s intensely expressive response to nature is nowhere better illustrated than
in this remarkable Adoration of the Shepherds. Painted on a domestic scale, probably
for an important private patron, it is unusual for being signed. The scene is one
of humble reverence. At the center is the infant Christ whose young limbs are
dramatically set off against a white drapery, which is lifted hesitantly by the exquisitely
demure young Mary to reveal the young Savior to the three shepherds. One, a boy
clad in an iridescent carmine tunic, the other a middle-aged man dressed in brilliant
green who looks across at the youth. Kneeling with a lamb before him, prays an
older shepherd, seen from the back, his shirt and silvery grey breeches rendered with
emphatic realism. Among the group that converges on the Christ Child, it is typically
the animals, the ass and the ox, who come closest, almost nuzzling the baby. Above
them a boy crouching on a ledge blows on a torch of embers, alluding no doubt to
the light that this holy birth will bring into the world. Further light breaks through
the foliage to the right, under which Joseph, clad in deep blue with a bright orange
cloak, looks out at us with an almost portrait-like directness. The ensemble is a superb
example of Bassano’s genius for the portrayal of profound sacramental subjects using

44
45
 The tousled grey hair, patched trousers and shoes of the
shepherd kneeling on the ground are rendered with the same
great naturalism and optical truth as the textures of the animals
and other surfaces. The face of Joseph in the present painting,
set off against a pale blue sky, is painted with the same fdelity
to truth as if it were a portrait. It is made up of juxtaposed
touches of pink, ochre, white, red-brick, blue, warm brown
and black, like a drawing in colored chalk, similar to the head
of St Jerome at the foot of the Cross in the Crucifxion of 1562
in the Museo Civico, Treviso. The quality of light and color
seen in the present Adoration of the Shepherds relates it to Jacopo’s
works datable to circa 1562-63, at a time when the artist was
moving away from his Mannerist phase towards the style of his
later period—the classical time of his pastorales (Ballarin, 1993,
op. cit., p. 598).
(fg. 1) Paolo Veronese, detail from The Wedding at Cana, 1562-1563. The Louvre, Paris, Jacopo Bassano, known as such because he was born in the
Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY. town of Bassano del Grappa in the Veneto, was the son of a
provincial painter, Francesco, and after working with him was
a magnifcent feeling for color, daring draughtsmanship sent to Venice where he trained with Bonifazio de’ Pitati. In
and a completely authentic feeling for nature, transforming a Venice he would have been exposed to the work of Titian and
humble subject into a deeply moving and monumental work of Pordenone, whose infuence is apparent in early works such as
art. The exceptionally fne state of preservation of this painting the Supper at Emmaus (Fort Worth, Kimbell Museum) of 1538.
makes its qualities all the more apparent. In the 1540s Pordenone’s infuence—seen in the tendency to
The picture has an illustrious provenance. It was described crowd fgures into a curve in the foreground—is combined
by Waagen when in the Morrison collection 1854 as “A very with a Lombard naturalism perhaps inspired by Savoldo and a
bright and clear yet forcible specimen; the local colors lighter colorism reminiscent of Lorenzo Lotto. By 1540, Jacopo had
than is often the case in his pictures” (G.F. Waagen, op. cit.). returned to live in his native Bassano where he would remain
It was subsequently lost to scholarly notice until discussed by for the rest of his life. However, he traveled frequently to Venice
Ballarin at a symposium at the Cini Foundation in Venice in and was clearly abreast of the current artistic trends there. His
1992. Two other versions of this composition are known: one works from the 1540s, such as the Flight into Egypt (Norton
formerly in the Dresden Museum, was destroyed during World
War II; the other is in the Bode Museum in Berlin. Neither
version is autograph, the attribution alternating between
Jacopo’s sons, Girolamo and Francesco Bassano.
Ballarin, who frst published this painting and then wrote
about it at length in the entry for the celebrated 1993 Siècle
de Titien exhibition (see above), was the frst to recognize its
importance as the prototype for a series of renditions of this
subject which would be produced throughout the 1560s,
culminating in the great Adoration of the Shepherds with St. Victor
and St. Corona (Museo Civico, Bassano; fg. 2), painted for the
high altar of S. Giuseppe in Bassano in 1568. Ballarin compared
the present painting to another Adoration of the Shepherds now
in the Galleria Corsini, Rome of c. 1563 (fg. 3), with which
he stressed it should be compared in order to date it. The
two pictures share a similar expressive power of color and a
comparable manner of drawing, as seen, for example, in the
faces of the shepherds. They are also alike in the use of two light
sources, but in the present picture the clearer, more transparent
light which serves to unify the composition is even more varied,
subtle and beautiful. The picture is also more idyllic in mood:
whereas in the Corsini Adoration, a boy crouches at right with
his back to the Holy Family–perhaps alluding to those who
turn away from Christ–in the present picture, attention is (fg. 2) Jacopo Bassano, Adoration of the Shepherds, Bassano
fully focused on the Saviour, imbuing the scene with a purer del Grappa, Museo Civico / De Agostini Picture Library / The
devotional spirit. Bridgeman Art Library.

46
 (fg. 3) Jacopo Bassano, Adoration of the Shepherds / Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica Palazzo Corsini, Rome
Italy / Alinari / The Bridgeman Art Library.

Simon Collection, Pasadena), are among the most sophisticated seen every day in his native Bassano. This was an entirely
produced by any Venetian artist at the time. Later on in this revolutionary approach, paralleled in Northern Europe by the
decade, Jacopo became strongly infuenced by Mannerism, work of Pieter Breugel the Elder. As with Breugel, these genre
presumably through engravings by Andrea Schiavone after scenes became extremely popular and numerous versions and
Parmigianino, as well as exposure to the work of Francesco variants were produced by his sons and the workshop well into
Salviati who was active in Venice. However, he never lost his the 17th century.
deep connection with nature, as is evident in the superlative Perhaps because of his physical seclusion in Bassano, Jacopo,
Two Hunting Dogs (Paris, Louvre) painted c. 1548. By the though greatly admired by his contemporaries in Venice, found
late 1550s, Bassano began to explore the dramatic possibilities it hard to emerge from the shadow cast by Titian and Veronese.
of landscape and the pastoral more intently with works such Yet in his own time, he infuenced major international artists
as the Annunciation to the Shepherds (National Gallery of Art, such as El Greco, who lifted the trope of the boy blowing on
Washington D.C.), dated c. 1558. By the early 1560s Bassano embers from the present painting to produce genre paintings
freed himself from Mannerist preoccupations, returning to a of that subject himself (fg. 4). Bassano’s Adoration of the
new objectivity and classicism with compositions based upon Shepherds would also reverberate in the work of Caravaggio,
the unifying power of light. The present painting is a key work whose Madonna di Loreto of c. 1604-1606 in the church of
in this development in Bassano’s oeuvre, and also epitomizes his Sant’Agostino in Rome (fg. 5) shows a humbly dressed elderly
unwavering embrace of nature and naturalism. This aspect of his peasant kneeling before the
art clearly found favor with Venetian collectors, given the large Virgin in a pose similar to the
quantities of workshop variants of his pastoral themes. Jacopo older shepherd in the present
would develop this picture.
fascination with Though his works are
nature even further found in every great public
with the virtual collection, Jacopo Bassano’s
invention of pastoral true importance was for
genre painting, in the frst time only properly
which themes such reassessed in the monographic
as The Four Seasons exhibition held in Bassano
and the Return of del Grappa and Fort Worth
the Prodigal Son in 1992, the fourth centenary
would seemingly of Jacopo’s death. This major
become pretexts Adoration of the Shepherds is not
for the depiction only a beautiful work of art in
of the working its own right, but a seminal
people, animals and work in the development of (fg. 5) Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
landscapes which the one of the greatest painters of Madonna of Loreto / Chiesa di San
Agostino, Rome, Italy / The Bridgeman
artist would have 16th-century Venice. Art Library.
(fg. 4) El Greco, El Soplón (Boy lighting a candle),
Christie’s, New York, 19 April 2007, lot 61.

47
 117
SIMONE PETERZANO
(Venice 1540-1596 Milan)

The Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist and a Bishop Saint
oil on canvas
50¿ x 67¿ in. (127.1 x 170 cm.)

$80,000-120,000
£54,000-80,000
€60,000-90,000

S imone Peterzano played a pivotal role in the history of later 16th-century

north Italian painting. As a pupil of Titian and later the master of Caravaggio,
he constitutes an important link between the great master of the Venetian High
Renaissance and the revolutionary pioneer of the early Baroque. Although neglected
by scholars until the early 20th century, when Nikolaus Pevsner brought his role in
Caravaggio’s development to light, Peterzano was much esteemed in his lifetime:
his fellow Lombard, the art theorist and painter Gian Paolo Lomazzo, ranked him
among the leading lights of painting in the Veneto. Indeed, despite being a native of
Bergamo, Peterzano’s Venetian training resulted in his being referred to as ‘veneziano,’
‘veneto,’ and ‘allievo di Tiziano’, and in contemporary documents. In addition to
Titian, other Venetian artists, such as Tintoretto and Veronese, also had an impact
on Peterzano’s early work. Over the course of his career, however, aspects of late
northern Mannerism and especially the typically Lombard predilection for acutely
observed naturalistic detail would also be incorporated into his style.
Peterzano seems to have spent most of his working life in Milan, where in 1584
he took on a new pupil, the teenage Caravaggio, who frequented his workshop until
1589, when Peterzano left for Rome, perhaps accompanied by the younger artist.
Beginning with Roberto Longhi’s Quesiti caravaggeschi of 1928-29, and more recently
in studies by Mina Gregori and others, scholars have focused attention on Peterzano’s
formative infuence on Caravaggio, evident, for example, in the poetic Penitent
Magdalene of c. 1594-95 in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome.
The composition of the present Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and
Bishop Saint follows the typically Venetian format of the sacra conversazione with fgures
set before a landscape, similar to those of Palma Vecchio and Palma Giovane. As Mina
Gregori has noted, the picture relates to other of Peterzano’s pictures, such as the
Venus and Cupid with two satyrs in the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, and the Angelica and
Medoro formerly with Galerie Canesso, Paris, with which it shares a prominent passage
of minutely-rendered vegetation in the foreground.
We are grateful to Dottoressa Mina Gregori for having confrmed the attribution
of the present unpublished work to Simone Peterzano.

48
49
 PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF BARBARA PIASECKA JOHNSON
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE BARBARA PIASECKA JOHNSON FOUNDATION

118
GIOVANNI BATTISTA CASTELLO, CALLED IL GENOVESE
(Genoa 1547-1637/9)

The Adoration of the Magi

pen and black ink, bodycolor, heightened with gold on vellum
10¬ x 8º in. (27 x 21 cm.)

$40,000-60,000
£27,000-40,000
€30,000-45,000

PROVENANCE:
Pope Gregory XVI (1765-1846), Rome, by whom
given in 1834 to the following
Don Giuseppe, brother of Cardinal Zurla of Crema,
V ividly colored and richly detailed, this exquisite painting on vellum is a fanciful
and very human imagining of the theme of the Adoration of the Magi. The
three kings have arrived in Bethlehem bearing gifts: the eldest has removed his crown
Rome (according to a label and an inscription on and kneels to kiss the feet of the Christ child, who gleefully inspects his offering. A
the backing board). weary Joseph sits behind, resting his chin on his staff; the ox to his left bays beside a
Mrs. Bigelow Lawrence.
delicate cloth hung up to dry, presumably just washed in the brook at lower right.
Helen Goldman.
Acquired by the present owner by 1981. The manger, ingeniously constructed from trees rooted to the ground, is set before a
minutely rendered landscape, whose lush greenery, rocky cliffs embedded with stone
EXHIBITED: castles, and valley engulfed in a soft violet mist attest to the artist’s skill. The remaining
Warsaw, The Royal Castle, Opus Sacrum, 10 April-
characters in the foreground are also meticulously described, such as the fgure in an
23 September 1990, no. 27 (catalogue entry by A.S.
Labuda and M. Newcome). unusual feathered hat at center, attempting to calm the camels that have borne the
entourage this far, a dwarf leading a monkey at lower left, and a young boy climbing
a tree to better view the excitement.
Giovanni Battista Castello, called il Genovese, is known for his elegant miniatures
which are, like the present work, highly fnished in detail and color. Lauded by
16th-century poets and writers for his artistic gifts, Castello undertook commissions
for such prestigious patrons as Philip II of Spain and, during her time in Genoa,
Margaret of Austria. The present Adoration, with its brilliant colors and slim fgures,
probably dates to early in Castello’s career, prior to 1600. The fortifed mountainous
scene at background left also points to such a dating, as it is partly inspired by Dürer’s
engraving of St. Eustace (fg. 1), which Castello may have seen in the collection of
Philip II at El Escorial, where he was working c. 1584-1589. The composition of
the present picture can be compared to several Adoration scenes by Castello, including
one in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (inv. 238) and another that is signed and
dated 1599 (see M. Bonzi, Battista Castello il Genovese, Genoa, 1931, p. 84), lending
further support to the theory that the present work was made in the last decade of
the 16th century.
According to an inscription on the reverse, the present Adoration was by the early
19th century in the collection of Pope Gregory XVI (1765-1846), whose passion for
art led him to found two museums in the Vatican and one in the Lateran. It was under
(fg. 1) Albrecht Dürer, Saint Eustace (B. 57; M., Holl. 60; his supervision that the Pauline Chapel was restored and the Basilica of St. Paul’s
S.M.S. 32), Christie’s, New York, 29 January 2013, lot 30. Outside-the-Walls, destroyed in the fre of 1823, was reconstructed.

50
51
 119
NORTH ITALIAN, PROBABLY PADUAN
EARLY 16TH CENTURY
A bronze model of a pacing female panther
Depicted standing and with a harness, on a later wooden base, the bronze
and base inscribed in white paint 177.48, the underside of the base with a paper label incribed Gu/480
4Ω in. (11.5 cm.) high, 5º in. (13 cm.) long, 5æ in. (14.5 cm.) high, overall

$7,000-10,000
£4,700-6,700
€5,300-7,500
T his bronze is one of a number of similar examples derived from a lost antique model
which featured a team of harnessed panthers leading Bacchus’ chariot. Variations
of the model made during the frst half of the 16th century include two examples
with curled tails in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (64.101.1429) and
The Fitzwilliam Museum of Art, Cambridge (M.20-1979), and two thicker versions
with tails hanging straight down in the Kress Collection (A.226.67C) and the Herzog
Anton Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig (no. 153). Examples that relate mostly closely
to the current lot, with raised right leg and tail wrapped around the back leg, include
one in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (54.38) and one sold from the collection
of Carter Burden, sold Sotheby’s, New York, 18 October 2003, lot 78. Although
exact date and origin for these bronzes varies, the Walters Collection example has
traditionally been identifed as from Padua in the early 16th century, which further
strengthens the dating for the current lot.

52
120
PADUAN, EARLY 16TH CENTURY
A bronze model of a candleholdner in the form of Marcus Aurelius on horseback
Marcus Aurelius separately cast and attached with a rod to the horse, holding a
cornucopia candleholder; on a circular bronze base
7º in. (18.2 cm.) high, overall

$15,000-20,000
£10,000-13,000 T his small bronze would originally have served to provide both ink and light for
its Renaissance owner. A little shell on the base would have served as the ink pot,
and the fgure would originally have held a candle nozzle in his left hand. It would
€12,000-15,000
have also testifed to its owner’s cultural sophistication by its reference to antiquity
through the equestrian portrait of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. This was derived
PROVENANCE: from one of the most famous of all antique models, the over life-size bronze on the
with Frank Partridge & Sons, from whom acquired Capitoline Hill in Rome, which was saved from destruction during the Middle Ages
on 21 March 1941 by
Sir Henry Price; [The Price Collection sale],
because it was mistakenly thought to represent Constantine, the frst Roman emperor
Sotheby’s, London, 22 November 2000, lot 54. to recognize Christianity offcially.
This bronze belongs to a group of similar domestic objects which have been
LITERATURE: attributed both to Riccio and Severo da Ravenna, although it is likely that their
Frankfurt, Liebieghaus Museum alter Plastik,
Natur und Antike in der Renaissance, 5 December
production was widespread. A closely comparable example was included in the
1985-2 March 1986, p. 356, nos. 55 and 56 celebrated von Hirsch sale (Sotheby’s, London, 22 June, 1978, lot 335), and two
(different casts). variant examples were included in the exhibition of bronzes Natur und Antike in
Frankfurt (loc. cit.) in 1985-1986.

53
 121
CIRCLE OF THE MASTER OF THE
CRUCIFIX NO. 434
(active Tuscany, c. 1230-1250)

The Madonna and Child Enthroned with two angels

tempera and gold on panel
40√ x 27æ in. (103.9 x 70.5 cm.)

$300,000-500,000
£200,000-330,000
€230,000-370,000

54
55
 (fg. 1) Master of the Crucifx no. 434, Madonna and Child, location unknown.

become newly available to painters in Italy as a consequence of

T his remarkable Madonna and Child Enthroned with the two
angels is an exceedingly rare survival from the third quarter
of the 13th century. Previously unpublished, this recently
the dispersal of artworks following the defeat of Constantinople
during the fourth Crusade (1202-1204).
discovered panel dates to c. 1265-1270, and was created in Like many of Bonaventura’s works, the present composition
the Tuscan artistic milieu from which the revolutionary art of is inspired by the iconography known as the ‘Hodegetria’ type,
Cimabue, Duccio, and Giotto would spring in the following which translates to ‘she who shows the way’. Associated with
decades. As Angelo Tartuferi has pointed out, the most decisive a lost Byzantine icon showing the Virgin Mary thought to
stylistic comparison with the present work is a Madonna and have been painted from life by Saint Luke himself, this format
Child (fg. 1) now attributed to the anonymous painter known was taken up by numerous painters of the 13th-century, who
as the Master of the Crucifx no. 434 (location unknown). hoped to achieve an accurate depiction of the Mother of God.
Unquestionably among the most important artists in Florence The most celebrated example of the so-called ‘Hodegetria’ was
before Coppo di Marcovaldo (f. 1260-1276), the Master of the once kept in a home in Constantinople run by blind guides
Crucifx no. 434 takes his name from the monumental work of (hodegoi), whence the name. In such images, the Christ child,
that title in the Uffzi, Florence, datable to c. 1240-1425 (fg. shown slightly off to one side of the composition, is presented
2). The abovementioned Madonna (fg. 1), recently reattributed as a teacher or ancient philosopher, dressed in a toga, holding
by Tartuferi to the Master, dates to c. 1230 and may be among a scroll while blessing the viewer with his empty hand. The
his earliest works, while his latest surviving painting, possibly Madonna’s proper right hand gestures toward her son, who
executed in collaboration with the so-called Master of Santa will lead the way to salvation, while the elegant golden fringe
Maria Primerana, is the magnifcent dossal depicting Saint on her mantle, as seen here at left, denotes her royal status as
Francis and stories from his life of c. 1250 in the Museo Civico, Queen of Heaven.
Pistoia (see A. Tartuferi, Il Maestro del Bigallo e la pittura della Although clearly harkening back to an earlier Byzantine
prima metà del duecento agli Uffzi, pp. 53-68). Although little is type, the present Madonna is an unusually evolved treatment
known of the Master’s artistic development, scholars agree that of the theme. The scene is not fattened by one-dimensional
he trained in Lucca in the circle, or possibly workshop, of the fgures or a blank background, but is given remarkable depth
famed Bonaventura Berlinghieri (f. 1228-1274), the leading through a number of thoughtful motifs, such as the angels
painter in that city in the second quarter of the Duecento. who actually peer over the throne from behind it, rather than
Bonaventura, the best known in a family of painters who foating above it in intangible space. This anticipates Cimabue,
worked primarily in Lucca, ranks among the key fgures in who uses the motif to great effect in his Santa Trinita Maestà
the history of Tuscan painting. First documented in 1228, his (Uffzi, Florence), as well as Duccio, who developed it further
style was much infuenced by the Byzantine icons which had in his extraordinary Rucellai Madonna (Uffzi, Florence). Like

56
 (fg. 2) Master of the Crucifx no. 434, Crucifx no. 434, Galleria degli Uffzi, Florence.

the angels, the cloth of honor in the present work is articulated picture plane, underscoring her bulk while at the same time
with a keen attention to three-dimensionality, the folds being emphasizing her protective stance towards her son, whom she
indicated not just by darker lines of paint but by careful gently supports on her lap. The placement of her hands, while
gradations of color suggesting ripples in the fabric. Similarly, recalling the Hodegetria type, underscores her caring, motherly
the modeling of the fgures’ features via layers of painstakingly attitude, instead of presenting him stiffy to the viewer, as was
applied coats of tempera is remarkably advanced, revealing an frequently the case in other such representations at the time. In
understanding of tonal modeling that refects Bonaventura’s this guise, she is more than Queen of Heaven: she is a human
techniques as it eschews the more archaic, linear effect of mother as well. Her gently inclined head and plaintive gaze
generations past. In so doing, the artist captures particular add to the emotional tenor of the image, inviting the viewer to
naturalistic details that might otherwise have been overlooked: share in her love for her son as well as her future suffering. In
the rosiness of the cheeks, the creases of skin in the necks and the 1260s and 1270s, such innovations were truly remarkable:
faces, the sinews of the hands, and the curling of the Christ this Madonna and Child thus provides an early glimpse of the
child’s hair. human, earthly aspect of Christ’s life which would become the
The posture and gestures of the Madonna have been great devotional preoccupation of the Renaissance.
conceived in such a way as a to emphasize her three- We are grateful to Angelo Tartuferi for his generous
dimensionality as well as her expressiveness. Instead of facing thoughts on the present work and for his suggestion of the
the viewer squarely, she is turned at a slight angle to the attribution and date.

57
 PROPERTY OF THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART,
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE ACQUISITIONS FUND

122
THE MASTER OF PANZANO
(active Tuscany, c. 1370-1400)

Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, with Saint Anthony Abbot in the pinnacle

tempera and gold on panel, arched top, in an engaged frame
44 x 14¡ in. (111.7 x 36.5 cm.)

$50,000-70,000
£34,000-47,000
€38,000-52,000

PROVENANCE:
Eduard Simon, Berlin.
Paul Reinhardt, Toledo, by whom gifted in 1925
in memory of his father, Henry Reinhardt.
T he Master of Panzano has long been understood as a close follower of Luca
di Tommè, an important and prolifc contributor to the legacy of Trecento
Sienese painting. While Sherwood A. Fehm (op. cit.) has argued that the Master’s
years of activity should be placed between c. 1365 and 1380, recent scholarship—
LITERATURE: in particular Denise Boucher de Lapparent’s comprehensive study of the Panzano
B. Berenson, ‘Lost Sienese Trecento Paintings,’ IV,
Master’s work - has indicated that his activity should be shifted somewhat later, to
International Studio, XCVIII, January 1931,
B. Berenson, Homeless Paintings of the Renaissance, c. 1380-1400, as his art shows not only the infuence of Luca di Tommè, but also
Bloomington, 1970, pp. 44-45, fig. 63). that of Tommè’s slightly older contemporaries Bartolo di Fredi, Paolo di Giovanni
B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance, Fei, and Niccolò di Buonaccorso (D. Boucher de Lapparent, ‘Le Maître de Panzano’,
Oxford, 1932, pp. 314, 709, as Luca di Tommè.
Revue du Louvre, XXVIII, 1978, pp. 165-174). In 1978, Gordon Moran hypothesized
Toledo Museum News, no. 63, September 1932,
pp. 5-6, as Luca di Tommè. that the Panzano Master might have been aware of the little-known Sienese painter
B.M. Godwin, Catalogue of European Paintings, Francesco di Vannuccio, whose production has also sometimes been confused with
Toledo, 1939, p. 4-5, as Luca di Tommè. that of Niccolò di Buonaccorso and Paolo di Giovanni Fei (G. Moran, ‘Un’ipotesi
B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre-Nineteenth
circa l’identifcazione del Maestro di Panzano’, Il Gallo Nero, I, 1978, pp. 10-13).
Century Italian Paintings in North American Public
Collections, Cambridge, MA, 1972, pp. 134, 373. As Pia Palladino has pointed out, the present work is ‘datable to the period of
The Toledo Museum of Art, European Paintings, the Panzano Master’s strongest adherence to Luca di Tommè’s models’ (loc. cit.).
Toledo, 1976, p. 393. Particularly reminiscent of Luca’s mature production of the late 1360s and early 1370s,
S.A. Fehm, Jr., ‘Luca di Tomme’s ‘Influence it can be ascribed to the early years of the Panzano Master’s career, and was indeed
on Three Sienese Masters: The Master of the
Magdalen Legend, The Master of the Panzano
long attributed to Luca di Tommè himself. However, while this depiction of the
Triptych and The Master of the Pietà,’ Mitteilungen Augustinian Saint Nicholas of Tolentino (c. 1246-1306) reveals the infuence of Luca’s
des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Forenz, XX, no. 3, compositions, it also betrays the Panzano Master’s familiarity with the calligraphic
1976, p. 343. style of Bartolo di Fredi, thus supporting a dating in the 1380s.
P. Palladino, Art and Devotion in Siena after 1350:
Luca di Tommè and Niccolò di Buonaccorso, San
The present work was originally the central panel of an imposing triptych or
Diego, 1997, pp. 67, 68, 78, no. 133, fig. 72. polyptych, two other panels of which - showing the Angel Gabriel and the Virgin
Annunciate - are in a private collection (see P. Palladino, op. cit., fg. 71).

58
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THE MASTER OF BORGO ALLA COLLINA
(active Tuscany early 15th century)

The Madonna of Humility with two angels

inscribed ‘.AVE.MARIA.GRATIA.PLE[NA]’ (on the frame)
tempera and gold on panel, arched top, in its original engaged frame
47 x 24 in. (119.4 x 70 cm.)

$300,000-400,000
£200,000-270,000
€230,000-300,000

PROVENANCE:
with Wildenstein, New York, from whom acquired
in 1948 by
Ildebrando Bossi, Genoa, until 1969.
T his stylish Madonna of Humility with two angels shows the Madonna and Christ
child, robed in an ermine-lined cloth, tenderly embracing against a radiating
gold ground while two diminutive angels offer vases of lilies to the holy pair. Mother
and child are seated on a pillow atop a foor patterned by means of a lavish sgrattito
LITERATURE: technique, in which leaves of hammered gold are arranged on the gessoed ground
VI Biennale Mostra Mercato Internazionale
layer, covered with tempera, and then scraped away in an ornate pattern to reveal the
dell’Antiquariato, exhibition catalogue, Florence,
1969, p. 382, as the Master of the Bambino Vispo. gold below.
C. Syre, Studien zum ‘Maestro del Bambino Vispo’ The Master of Borgo alla Collina was an anonymous Florentine painter named
und Starnina, Bonn, 1979, p. 173 note 323, as a by Georg Pudelko in 1938 for an altarpiece of the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine
Florentine painter infuenced by Gherardo Starnina.
with Saints Francis, the Archangel Raphael with Tobias, the Archangel Gabriel, and Louis
A. Lenza, Il Maestro di Borgo alla Collina, Florence,
2012, pp. 66-67, no. XIII. of Toulouse in the parish church of San Donato in Borgo alla Collina in the province
of Arezzo (G. Pudelko, ‘The Maestro del Bambino Visto’, Art in America, XXVI,
1938, pp. 47-63). Though understood in the past as an artist infuenced by Gherardo
Starnina (1360-1413), and possibly as a follower of that master, recent scholarship
suggests that the two artists may have worked more closely together than was once
thought. Alberto Lenza, in fact, has suggested that the Master of Borgo alla Collina
may even have accompanied Starnina on his sojourn to Spain (c. 1401-1404), and
may well have been active in Tuscany into the sixth decade of the 15th century.
Indeed, the present work was once attributed by Bernard Berenson (recorded in the
photoarchives at the Villa I Tatti) to the so-called Master of the Bambino Vispo, an
artist now identifed by most scholars with Starnina himself. As Lenza points out,
the study of the paintings and artistic personality of the Master of Borgo alla Collina
is useful not only in tracing the stylistic profle and infuence of Starnina, but in
understanding, in a more general sense, the development of Tuscan painting in the
early decades of the Quattrocento (op. cit., p. 14).

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124
SPINELLO DI LUCA SPINELLI, CALLED SPINELLO ARETINO
(Arezzo 1350/2-1410)

The Adoration of the Magi

tempera and gold on panel, unframed
8¬ x 15 in. (21.9 x 38.1 cm.)

$600,000-800,000
£400,000-530,000
€450,000-600,000

PROVENANCE:
with L.M. Banti, Via delle Ruote, Florence, by 1920.
Cinelli collection, Palazzo Antellesi, Florence,
by 1963.
B orn in Arezzo around 1350, Spinello Aretino received major commissions
throughout his life in his native city, as well as in Lucca, Florence, Pisa, and
Siena. A passionate respondent to the work of Giotto’s immediate followers, such
Anonymous sale; Christie’s, London, 8 December as Andrea di Cione, called Orcagna, and his brothers Nardo and Jacopo di Cione,
1972, lot 74, as ‘Luca Spinello’. Spinello soon became one of the most famous Tuscan painters of the late Trecento;
by the early 15th century, his renown was such that he was awarded commissions for
LITERATURE:
R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian Schools work in the Duomo (1404) and Palazzo Pubblico (1407) in Siena. The subject of
of Painting, The Hague, III, 1924, p. 585. numerous studies in the last two decades, Spinello’s oeuvre has been greatly clarifed
B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: in particular by Stefan Weppelmann, whose frst catalogue raisonné of the painter’s
Florentine School, London 1963, p. 163, as Orcagna.
works appeared in 2003 (op. cit.). Describing the artist’s development and lasting
A.R. Calderoni Masetti, ‘Spinello Aretino giovane’,
Raccolta pisana di saggi e studi, XXXV, Florence, impact on Tuscan art of the Quattrocento, Weppelman has written, “[Spinello’s]
1973, p. 12, fg. 14. works, aimed at stimulating emotional participation on the part of the viewer could
M. Boskovits, Pittura forentina alla vigilia del not leave Lorenzo Monaco untouched” (2006, loc. cit.). Indeed, the present Adoration
rinascimento: 1370-1400, Florence, 1975, p. 436,
of the Magi reveals a narrative creativity that would reverberate in the works of Lorenzo
fg. 520.
G. Freuler in Master Paintings, 1400-1850, Monaco and even the later art of Masaccio: the elderly and youthful kings at left are
exhibition catalogue, Colnaghi’s, London, Winter deep in conversation, as the latter gestures toward the frst King to greet the infant
1991-1992, pp. 10-11, fg. 1. savior as if discussing the merits of his offering. The kneeling king, whose hunched
Master Paintings, 1400-1850, exhibition catalogue, body dramatically occupies the central portion of the scene, tenderly kisses the Christ
Colnaghi’s, London, 1993, p. 71.
Arte Sacra Antica, exhibition catalogue, Agnew’s,
child’s foot while Joseph, at right, frowns protectively, holding the frst king’s gift in
London, 1994. his hand. The monumentality and expressiveness of the fgures, as well as the subdued,
A. González-Palacios in Sumptuosa tabula picta: carefully-modulated coloring, are typical of Spinello’s robust yet lyrical style.
pittori a Lucca tra gotico e Rinascimento, exhibition Van Marle (loc. cit.) was the frst to recognize the Adoration as a work by Spinello,
catalogue, Lucca, 1998, p. 18.
C. Terzaghi, ‘Sei tavole toscane del Quattrocento’
an attribution that has subsequently been challenged only by Berenson, who published
in ‘Ma l’arte è un viaggio ...’, exhibition catalogue, it as by Orcagna (loc. cit.). Boskovits (loc. cit.) was the frst to associate the present work
Milan, 2001, p. 86. with a second panel from the predella to which it originally belonged, a Nativity in a
S. Weppelmann, Spinello Aretino und die toskanische private collection in Genoa; Freuler (loc. cit.) added to this group a Lamentation which
Malerei des 14. Jahrhunderts, Florence, 2003,
recently sold at Christie’s, London (5 July 2011, lot 57, £713,250). Weppelman, who
pp. 262, 264-265, no. 63b.
S. Weppelmann in Lorenzo Monaco: a bridge from has observed “the majesty of the fgures with respect to the proportions of the whole
Giotto’s heritage to the Renaissance, exhibition painting sketchily accented by light and shadow” (2006, loc. cit.), relates the group
catalogue, Florence, 2006, pp. 142-143, fg. 2, stylistically to Spinello’s documented Piety from the Fraternità dei Laici in Arezzo and
under cat. 14.
other late works, such as the Ascent to Calvary painted for the sacristy of Santa Croce in
S. Weppelmann in A history of taste: collecting
French & Italian old master painting for America, Florence around 1395. Weppelmann dates the predella to the late 1390s and suggests
exhibition catalogue, Robilant & Voena at that it was originally part of a triptych, the central panel of which may have been the
Christophe Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York, 2010, Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints John the Baptist, Anthony Abbot, Margaret and
p. 22, fg. 2.
Lucy with two Angels from the Kress collection (Lewisburg, Bucknell University Art
S. Weppelmann, Spinello Aretino e la pittura del
trecento in Toscana, Florence, 2011, pp. 273-275, Museum). A small panel of a Virgin Annunciate (location unknown) may have been the
no. 63b. right-hand pinnacle (see S. Weppelmann, 2011, op. cit., no. 62).

62
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 PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF BARBARA PIASECKA JOHNSON
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE BARBARA PIASECKA JOHNSON FOUNDATION

125
PAOLO DI GIOVANNI FEI
(San Quirico, Castelvecchio, or Siena c. 1340/5-c. 1411)

The Madonna Nursing the Christ child

tempera and gold on panel, in its original engaged frame
30Ω x 20º in. (77.5 x 51.4 cm.)

$600,000-800,000
£400,000-530,000
P aolo di Giovanni Fei was among the leading Sienese painters of the 14th century.
Infuenced by the earlier masters of the Sienese Trecento including Duccio,
Ugolino, the Lorenzetti, and Simone Martini, Fei also looked to the art of his closer
€450,000-600,000 contemporaries, Bartolo di Fredi and Andrea Vanni, as he developed his own style.
First recorded as a painter in 1369, Fei’s earliest secure works date from 1381. His
name is mentioned in the 1389 register of painters enrolled in the Breve dell’Arte,
and between 1395 and 1400 he is documented as working in the Siena Cathedral.
PROVENANCE: Although he is known to have undertaken major public commissions, Fei’s extant
with Finarte, Milan.
oeuvre mainly consists of small, exquisitely-wrought panels for private devotion, of
with Colnaghi’s, London, by 1979, when acquired
by the present owner. which the present work is an important example.
This The Madonna Nursing the Christ child is a characteristic work by Fei, and a
EXHIBITED: remarkable survival in its original engaged and richly decorated frame, inlaid with
Warsaw, The Royal Castle, Opus Sacrum, 10 April- small cabochon stones and medallions of reverse-painted glass, or verre églomisé.
23 September 1990, no. 4 (catalogue entry by A. S.
Labuda).
Elements of the frame, as well as Mary’s ornate feur-de-lis crown, have been crafted
in pastiglia and gilded to enhance the glittering, sumptuous effect. The crown, which
LITERATURE: presents Mary as Queen of Heaven, underscores the regal tone of the image, as do
F. Bologna, ‘Ancora sui marchigiani a Napoli agli her sumptuous jewelry and extravagant garb, embellished with delicate borders and
inizi del XV secolo e due opere inedite del Maestro
dei Penna’, Paragone, 419-423, 1985, p. 85, pl. 63.
exquisite brocade. Mary’s deep blue cloak is patterned with golden stars, a reference
to her ancient title of ‘Stella Maris’, or ‘Star of the Sea’, which signifed hope and
guidance for worshippers.
In contrast to the slender, stoically expressionless Madonna, the plump Christ
child and reaches playfully for his own foot. Like his mother, he looks outwards to
engage the viewer directly as he suckles. The Nursing Madonna, or Madonna Lactans,
is one of the oldest cult images of Mary, appearing frequently in Trecento Italian
painting and remaining popular in Europe into the early 16th century. The particular
iconography of the Nursing Madonna refects the newfound interest in Christ’s
human life, emphasizing Mary’s status as Holy Mother and underscoring her role in
the nourishment of Christ, a central tenet of the dogma of Mary’s motherhood and
crucial to Christian theology.
The iconography of the Nursing Madonna was popularized in Tuscany by
Ambrogio Lorenzetti, whose surviving work of that subject (Museo dell’Opera del
Duomo, Siena), with its kicking, squirming Christ child, halfway turned to confront
the viewer, is datable to c. 1325 and may indeed have inspired the present work.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti was of particular infuence in Fei’s early career. Indeed, the
present painting closely resembles a group of pictures depicting the Nursing Madonna
considered to date from Fei’s formative period, prior to 1390: one at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York (inv. 41.190.13), also preserved in its original frame; a
second from the Siena cathedral; and a third formerly in the J. Paul Getty Museum,
Malibu (sold Christie’s, New York, 21 May 1992, lot 20).
The feur-de-lis motifs in the Madonna’s crown led Ferdinando Bologna (loc. cit.) to
suggest that the present work may have been ordered for a member of the house of
Anjou, rulers of Naples, for whom Simone Martini himself had worked over a half-
century earlier. In Bologna’s words, this ‘most beautiful Madonna del Latte’ (‘bellissima
(fg. 1) Paolo di Giovanni Fei, Madonna and Child, Madonna del Latte’) by Paolo di Giovanni Fei is ‘a masterpiece of the earliest years
bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941 (41.190.13).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, © The
of the Quattrocento’ (‘un capolavoro di anni non posteriori agile inizi del Quattrocento’)
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Art Resource, NY. (loc. cit.).
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 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

126
THE MASTER OF THE MISERICORDIA
(Florence, active mid-14th century)

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

tempera and gold on panel, arched top, in an engaged frame
53¿ x 34º in. (135 x 87 cm.)

$1,000,000-1,500,000
£670,000-1,000,000 T his majestic Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine was identifed by Federico Zeri
(loc. cit.) as a work by the Master of the Misericordia (sometimes known as the
Master of the Orcagnesque Misericordia), a gifted follower of Andrea di Cione, called
€750,000-1,100,000
Orcagna, the greatest Florentine painter of the mid-14th century. Richard Offner was
the frst to group together paintings by this hand, basing his study around the Madonna
della Misericordia in the Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence. The artist’s oeuvre has since
been augmented by Marcucci, Zeri, Boskovits, and others. While Offner stressed the
Cionesque aspects of the Master’s style, identifying him as a pupil of Orcagna, other
scholars have considered his early paintings more Daddesque in character. The present
PROVENANCE:
Delfino Cinelli, Florence, before May 1942. Madonna, whose youthful face and blond hair is strongly reminiscent of the Master’s
Heinz Kisters collection, Kreuzlingen. Madonna in the Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico, is characterized at once by
the subdued tonalities of Daddi and the pensive, formal austerity of Orcagna. The
LITERATURE:
exquisite cloth of honor with hounds and vegetation adorning the Madonna’s throne
B. Berenson, ‘Quadri senza casa: Il Trecento
fiorentino’, Dedalo, XI, 1930-31, p. 1058, as
is also reminiscent of works from Orcagna’s circle, and, like them, may have been
a follower of Jacopo di Cione (reprinted in B. inspired by a Persian tapestry in the artist’s studio.
Berenson, Homeless Paintings of the Renaissance, Although the Misericordia Master presently remains anonymous, Boskovits stressed
Bloomington, 1970, pp. 106-107, fig. 160). his key role in the history of Florentine Trecento painting, writing “the importance of
R. Offner, A Critical and Historical Corpus of
Florentine Painting, sect. III, V, 1947, p. 228, n. 1,
the arc of his development, which shows a conscious reworking of the formulas of the
as ‘Cionesque’. early 14th century and ushers in the late Gothic tendencies of the end of the century,
B. Klesse, Seidenstoffe in der italianischen Malerei des assures him a place among the great protagonists of Florentine painting” (“l’ampiezza
14. Jahrhunderts. Mit 519 Zeichnuungen der Autorin, del suo arco di sviluppo, che dalla consapevole rielaborazione di forumle del primo Trecento
Bern, 1967, p. 326, no. 257, as ‘Orcagnesque
Master influenced by Agnolo Gaddi’.
giunse ad annunciare le tendenze tardogotiche della fne del secolo, gli assicura un posto fra i
F. Zeri, ‘Early Italian Pictures in the Kress protagonist veri e propri della pittura forentina”) (op. cit., p. 65).
Collection’, Burlington Magazine, CIX, 1967, p. 474. The present Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine relates to the legend of Saint Catherine
M. Boskovits, Pittura forentina alla vigilia del of Alexandria, a virgin martyr executed by the Roman emperor Maxentius early in the
rinascimento: 1370-1400, Florence, 1975, p. 369,
4th century. According to the Golden Legend, a hermit presented Catherine with an
fig. 217.
image of the Madonna and Child after she had converted to Christianity and rejected
suitors to her hand. As Catherine’s faith grew, the infant in the picture gradually
turned his face toward her, and eventually placed a ring on her fnger. The concept
of spiritual betrothal to God was also important to the story of the 14th-century
Franciscan Saint Catherine of Siena, and images of her marriage to Christ seem
to have been infuenced by existing paintings of her predecessor, Saint Catherine
of Alexandria. In the present depiction, Catherine is shown wearing the crown
appropriate to her royal station. Her attribute, the spiked wheel, is noticeably missing
here, allowing the viewer to meditate on the message of her spiritual devotion to God.
This monumental work was certainly once the principal element of an altarpiece
dedicated to Saint Catherine. John Pope-Hennessy identifed three related panels,
which he suggested likely formed the predella to the present work. These are, from
left right: Saint Catherine of Alexandria’s Vision of the Christ Child in the Lehman
Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. 1975.1.62); Saint
Catherine of Alexandria disputing with the pagan Philosophers before the Emperor Maxentius
formerly in the Davenport Bromley Collection at Capesthorne Hall (sold Christie’s,
London, 24 May 1991, lot 35); and the Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria in
the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts. Indeed, the combined width of those
three panels is nearly identical to the length of the present work. Although none of
the Master’s works are dated, Boskovits tentatively places the predella early in his
66 development, c. 1360-1365.
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 PROPERTY FROM THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF
RICHARD L. FEIGEN, NEW YORK

127
BATTISTA DI BIAGIO SANGUIGNI
(Florence 1393-1451)

The Virgin of Humility

tempera and gold on panel, shaped top
30Ω x 17Ω in. (77.5 x 41 cm.), with a 2¡ in. (6 cm.) addition to the upper edge

$800,000-1,000,000
£540,000-670,000
€600,000-750,000

PROVENANCE:
M. Condé, Château Biarge, Charente, France,
by 1928.
Anonymous sale; Christie’s, New York, 25 May
1999, lot 129, as Zanobi di Benedetto Strozzi.

EXHIBITED:
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fra
Angelico, 26 October 2005-29 January 2006,
no. 43 (entry by L. Kanter).
New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery, Italian
Paintings from the Richard L. Feigen Collection, 28
May-12 September 2010, no. 25 (entry by L. Kanter).

LITERATURE:
R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian schools
of Painting, The Hague, 1928, p. 190, as Domenico
di Michelino.
L. Kanter, ‘Zanobi Strozzi miniatore and Battista di
Biagio Sanguigni’, Arte cristiana, XC, no. 812, 2002,
pp. 329, 331 note 22.
M. Boskovits, ‘Ancora sul Maestro del 1419’, Arte
cristiana, XC, no. 812, 2002, p. 340, as possibly an
early work by Fra Angelico.
L. Kanter and J. Marciari, Italian Paintings from
the Richard L. Feigen Collection, New Haven and
London, 2010, pp. 85-86, no. 25.

68
69
 T his monumental, richly decorated panel is a rare and
exceptionally fne work by Battista di Biagio Sanguigni,
also sometimes known as The Master of 1419. Seated on a red
from photographs, suggested an attribution to the young Fra
Angelico himself, and indeed, Kanter has remarked that “the
elegantly twisting hem of the Virgin’s mantle” in the present
cushion embellished with golden thread, the Madonna supports picture “might seem an invention worthy of Fra Angelico” (L.
the standing Christ Child on her knee. In her right hand she Kanter in New York 2006, op. cit., p. 240). When the Madonna
holds a red rose, a striking spot of bright color which alludes of Humility was sold in These Rooms in 1999, it was catalogued
to her son’s eventual martyrdom; with her left, she holds aloft a as a work by Zanobi Strozzi, and was frst published with the
diaphanous veil, which helps conceal the Christ Child’s nudity correct attribution to Sanguigni by Kanter in 2002 (loc. cit.).
as it links mother and child more closely. While the cushion on One clear hallmark of Sanguigni’s style is the idiosyncratic
the ground beneath the Madonna identifes her as a Madonna approach to foreshortening seen in the Madonna’s hands and
of Humility, the intricate gold embroidery on her costume, the the vases of fowers in the lower corners, which are rendered
costly lapis lazuli of her mantle, and the sumptuous gilded cloth from the same implausible di sotto in su angle. The Madonna’s
of honor behind—delicately incised and refned with oil glazes high forehead, narrowed eyes with faraway gaze, long straight
to enhance its volume and richness—simultaneously evoke nose and small mouth set very close to the chin are also
imagery of the Madonna and Child Enthroned in the Kingdom characteristic of the artist (L. Kanter in New York, 2006, op.
of Heaven. This blending of iconographical types—as well as cit., p. 241).
the inclusion of certain motifs, such as the vases of pink and As Kanter has observed, most of Sanguigni’s extant panel
white fowers at the lower corners—follows the example of Fra paintings can be dated to 1430 or earlier, prior to his association
Angelico (c. 1395-1455), who was Sanguini’s close friend and with Zanobi Strozzi. Although no documented works from
most signifcant artistic infuence. the last two decades of Sanguigni’s career survive, visual and
Battista di Biagio Sanguigni was born in 1393 and probably circumstantial evidence point to a dating of c. 1437-1445 for
trained in the Florentine workshop of Lorenzo Monaco the Madonna of Humility, making it a rare example of the artist’s
(1370/73-1425/30). In 1415 he enrolled in the Confraternity mature production. The composition, as well as the motif of
of San Nicola da Bari at the Carmine, in whose record books the vases of fowers mentioned above, are derived from Fra
he signed as “Battista miniatore,” a reference to his work as a Angelico’s 1437 altarpiece in Perugia (Galleria Nazionale),
manuscript illuminator. Indeed, much of Sanguigni’s surviving suggesting a terminus post quem in the late 1430s. On the other
oeuvre is comprised of works on parchment and vellum, of hand, the Madonna of Humility must have been executed prior
which well-known examples are illuminations in the choir to 1445, when Fra Angelico closed the workshop at San
books from San Gaggio (Florence, Museo di San Marco); those Domenico in Fiesole where Strozzi and Sanguigni had both
in a breviary from San Pier Maggiore dated 1411-1414 (Paris, been employed. This presents the possibility that the present
Musée Martmottan); and two illuminated copies of Dante’s painting might even have been executed while Sanguigni and
Divine Comedy (Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional and Florence, Strozzi were still working in close proximity in Fra Angelico’s
Biblioteca Riccardiana). In 1417 Sanguigni sponsored the entry workshop, prior to the end of their cohabitation in 1438 (L.
of Fra Angelico into the Confraternity of San Nicola. At the Kanter in New York, 2006, op. cit., p. 241).
end of the following decade, Sanguigni took the young artist Since many of Sanguigni’s paintings were likely executed
Zanobi Strozzi (1412-1468) as his apprentice, and the two lived in collaboration with Angelico and Strozzi, the Madonna of
together at Palaiuolo, near San Domenico in Fiesole, until the Humility also raises intriguing questions about the working
latter’s marriage in 1538. interrelationships between the three artists during these later
It is diffcult to consider the career of Battista di Biagio years. Was this panel independently designed and executed by
Sanguigni without close attention to those of Fra Angelico, Sanguigni and always meant to be recognized as a work by
Zanobi Strozzi and other artists in Fra Angelico’s orbit. Strozzi his hand? Might it have been commissioned to Angelico and
and Sanguigni frequently collaborated on the production of delegated to Sanguigni as executant, to be considered a work
both panel paintings and manuscript illuminations, and both of Fra Angelico himself? Or might it have been conceived by
seem to have been active in Fra Angelico’s workshop in Fiesole Strozzi and executed by Sanguigni? An identifcation of the
from the late 1430s until the middle of the following decade, picture with a recorded commission might help provide some
when Fra Angelico effectively closed his studio and moved to answers. As Kanter has noted, the placement of the Christ Child
Rome. The present painting—a rare example of Sanguigni’s to the Madonna’s right is somewhat unusual (L. Kanter in New
work on panel—was frst assigned to the Florentine follower Haven, 2010, op. cit., p. 86), which might eventually help lead
of Fra Angelico, Domenico di Michelino (1417-1491), by to a connection with a documented commission. While the
Bernard Berenson (1923, unpublished), an attribution which subject of the Madonna of Humility is most commonly found
Van Marle published fve years later. In 2002, Miklós Boskovits, in independent tabernacles, the size and format of panel are
who misjudged the panel’s unusually fne state of preservation more typical of central elements of larger altarpieces.

70
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 PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF BARBARA PIASECKA JOHNSON
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE BARBARA PIASECKA JOHNSON FOUNDATION

128
ANTONIAZZO ROMANO
(Rome before 1452-1508/12)

Saint Francis of Assisi

tempera and gold on panel, transferred to panel
63¿ x 23Ω in. (160.2 x 59.6 cm.)
T his imposing depiction of Saint
Francis of Assisi is a rare and important
work by Antonio di Benedetto Aquilio,
inscribed ‘CLEMENS.BRIGAI S.DE.COLVNNA’ (lower edge) called Antoniazzo Romano, the leading
$150,000-250,000 painter in Rome during the later 15th
century. One of the founders of the
£100,000-170,000
Compagnia di San Luca, the painters’
€120,000-190,000 guild of Rome, his earliest documented
works date to the mid-1460s and
PROVENANCE:
F.M. Perkins, ‘Tre dipinti di Antoniazzo Romano’, demonstrate a vigorous plasticity and
Commissioned c. 1477 by Clemente Brigante
Rassegna d’arte, 1911, XI, p. 36, note 1.
Colonna (d. 1481) for the Cappella di San Francesco, luminosity that recall the art of Fra
F.M. Perkins, ‘Dipinti italiani della raccolta Platt’,
Santa Maria Maggiore, Tivoli, whence transferred
Rassegna d’arte, 1911, p. 6. Angelico and his pupil, Benozzo Gozzoli,
in the late 19th century to the private chapel of the both of whom had worked in the Eternal
J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A History of
Brigante Colonna family palace, Tivoli.
Painting in Italy, New York, 1914, V, p. 280, note 1. City as well. Antoniazzo’s art also refects
with Constantini, Florence, by c. 1901, from whom
S. Reinach, Répertoire de peintures du moyen âge et
acquired c. 1909 by the innovations of Piero della Francesca
de la renaissance, Paris, 1923, VI, p. 45.
Dan Fellows Platt (1873-1937), Englewood, New
Fogg Art Museum: Collecion of Mediaeval and
and the infuence of Melozzo da Forli,
Jersey. with whom he collaborated in 1480.
Renaissance Paintings, Cambridge, Mass., 1927, p.
with Wildenstein, London and New York.
Anonymous sale; Christie’s, London, 9 July 2003,
157. Around that time, Antoniazzo studied
R. Longhi, ‘In favore di Antoniazzo Romano’, Vita the work of Domenico Ghirlandaio,
lot 78 (£94,850), where acquired by the present
artistica, II, 1927, p. 233.
owner.
B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance,
then engaged on the decorations of the
Oxford, 1932, p. 26. Sistine chapel, and himself undertook
EXHIBITED:
R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian Schools prestigious commissions in the Vatican
New York, Wildenstein, Italian Paintings, 1947, no.
of Paintings, The Hague, 1934, XV, p. 254. palace and in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva,
36.
B. Berenson, Pitture italiane del rinascimento,
Charlotte, North Carolina, Mint Museum of Art, 14
Milan, 1936, p. 22. B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of
the latter to commemorate the Holy
September-12 December 1956, on loan. Year of 1500.
the Renaissance: Central and North Italian Schools,
London, Wildenstein, Paintings by Rembrandt,
London, 1968, I, p. 15. The present painting is one of very
Boucher, Cezanne, Hals, Guardi, Gauguin and Others,
G.D. Noehles, Antoniazzo Romano, Ph.D. few by the artist for which the identity of
17 June-1 August 1959, no. 13.
dissertation, unpublished, Westfälischen Wilhelms
London, Helikon, Exhibition of Old Masters, June- the original patron is known. As attested
Universität, Munster, 1973, no. 58, fg. 49B.
September 1974 (catalogue by G. Algranti). by the coat-of-arms and inscription at
B. Nicolson, ‘Current and Forthcoming Exhibitions:
Helikon Gallery’, Burlington Magazine, CXVI, July the lower edge, the picture was made for
LITERATURE:
1974, p. 418, fg. 73. Clemente Brigante Colonna, a leading
Fra C. da Roma, Memorie Istoriche delle Chiese e
G.S. Hedberg, ‘Antoniazzo Romano and his
Conventi dei Frati Minori della Provincia Romana, citizen of Tivoli and a member of the
School’, Ph.D. dissertation, unpublished, New York
Rome, 1744, pp. 353-354.
University, 1980, I, pp. 34, 87 note 161, 168, no. 19; powerful Colonna family of Rome. The
F.A. Sebastiani, Viaggio a Tivoli antichissima città earliest mention of the Saint Francis
II, fg. 20.
latino-sabina fatto nel 1825, Foligno, 1828, p. 36.
R. Cannatà in Un’Antologia di restauri, Rome, 1982, is in 1744, when it was recorded as
F. Bulgarini, Notizie storiche antiquarie statistiche
p. 32 note 13.
agronomiche, intorno all’antichissima città di Tivole hanging in the frst chapel on the right
B. Forastieri, ‘Un S. Francesco “Tiburtino”,
e il suo territori, Rome, 1848, p. 77, as Anonymous,
Antoniazzo Romano e la committenzo Colonna’,
in the Franciscan church of Santa Maria
15th Century. Maggiore at Tivoli. This chapel was ceded
Alma Roma, XXX, no. 1/2, January-April 1991,
F. Gori, Viaggio pittorico-antiquario da Roma a
Tivoli e Subiaco sino alla famosa grotta di Colleparto
pp. 3-15. to Clemente in 1477 and rededicated to
A. Cavallaro, Antoniazzo Romano e gli Saint Francis, and it is likely that the
descritto la prima volta, Rome, 1848, p. 77, as
Antoniazzeschi: Una generazione di pittori nella Roma
Anonymous, 15th Century.
del Quattrocento, Udine, 1992, pp. 68, pl. XXI, 189-
present work was commissioned around
R. del Re, Tivoli e i suoi monumenti antichi e moderni, this time in honor of the chapel’s new
190, no. 14, 316, fg. 31.
Rome, 1886, p. 32, as Anonymous.
A. Paolucci, Antoniazzo Romano: Catologo completo spiritual protector. Indeed the blond
F.M. Perkins, ‘Dipinti italiani nelle raccolte
dei dipinti, Florence, 1992, p. 87, no. 22. tonalities, crisp lines, and graceful pose
americane’, Rassegna d’arte umbra, X, 1910, p. 100.
of the fgure in the present picture
relate it to Antoniazzo’s other works of
the 1470s, in which the infuence of
Verrocchio is apparent.

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 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

129
SANO DI PIETRO
(Siena 1405-1481)

The Madonna and Child with two angels

tempera and gold on panel, in an engaged frame
13¬ x 11º in. (34.5 x 28.5 cm.)

$300,000-500,000
£200,000-330,000
€230,000-370,000

PROVENANCE:
Carlo Cinughi, Siena, by 1904.

EXHIBITED:
F resh to the market and previously unpublished, this lovely Madonna and Child
shows why Sano di Pietro was the most sought-after painter in mid-15th-century
Siena. His extraordinarily well-documented career spanned over fve decades and
Siena, Palazzo Pubblico, Mostra dell’antica arte included large altarpieces, manuscript illuminations, and small-scale paintings for
senese, April-August 1904, no. 33 (584). private devotion, such as the present work, in which the delicacy and refnement of
his technique and lyricism of feeling are most readily revealed.
LITERATURE:
J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A History of Born Ansano di Pietro di Mencio, Sano’s early artistic training probably took place
Painting in Italy: Umbrian and Sienese Masters of the in the workshop of the great Sienese revolutionary Sassetta (c. 1400-1450), several of
Fifteenth Century, New York, 1914, V, p. 175. whose unfnished works he completed after the elder artist’s death in 1450. Although
Sassetta undoubtedly remained his strongest artistic infuence, Sano’s paintings also
reveal his awareness of the art of Domenico di Bartolo and suggest that he knew the
work of Paolo Uccello and Fra Angelico as well. Indeed, the Christ child and the
two beatifc angels peering in from the upper corners in the present work have an
innocence and sweetness of expression hearkening back to paintings for which the
older Florentine master earned the sobriquet Angelico, or ‘angelic one’.
It is likely that this enchanting, ethereal quality accounted for Sano’s enormous
success amongst contemporary Sienese patrons, for whom he produced numerous
portable, devotional images. In order to meet the constant demand, Sano oversaw
a thriving workshop of assistants, many of whose hands are discernible in his more
repetitive, later pictures. This example, however, exhibits the freshness of feeling and
clear, rich coloring that distinguish Sano’s earliest and best works: the Christ child’s
interaction with his mother is especially tender, his cheek pressed against hers as he
reaches for her hand as if pleading for affection, while her vivid blue mantle provides
a stunning burst of color against the luminous, elegantly tooled gold background.
In the early 20th century, the present panel was framed as a tabernacle and
surmounted by a lunette depicting the Resurrection of Christ.

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 PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF FRANK AND MERLE BUTTRAM

130
BIAGIO D’ANTONIO
(Florence 1446-1516)

Portrait of a young man in a red cap and blue tunic

oil on panel
21æ x 15 in. (55.2 x 38.1 cm.)

$200,000-300,000
£140,000-200,000
€150,000-220,000

PROVENANCE:
Crowley-Bovey family, Flaxley Abbey, Newnham-
T he identity of this confdent, handsome boy of about ffteen years remains a
mystery. He is dressed according to the popular fashion of late-15th-century
Florence, wearing a red cuffed cap and a sober dark blue, fur-trimmed tunic. His
on-Severn, Gloucestershire.
sartorial sophistication and wealth are further signaled by the pair of yellow gloves that
EXHIBITED: he holds in his hand. He stands in the corner of a room with pietra serena walls, framed
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Art Center, Fourteen
by two windows. Echoing the color of his eyes, the vast landscape with meandering
Masterpieces of European Painting from the Buttram
Collection, 25 September-3 October 1965, as Sandro roads and hills dotted with trees likely alludes to property owned by his family in the
Botticelli. countryside. Following a convention that may have originated in Northern Europe
with artists such as Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling, the boy appears to rest his hand
on the picture frame, creating the illusion that he is actually looking out of a third
window to meet the viewer’s gaze.
Only three other autonomous portraits by Biagio d’Antonio are known, all of
which, like the present painting, are bust-length representations of young men set
before landscape backgrounds. The frst and earliest is the Portrait of a young man
of c. 1470, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Friedsam collection,
inv. 32.100.68). The second is the Portrait of a boy in the National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C. (Kress collection, inv. 1939.1.179). The third, and closest to the
present painting, is the Portrait of a young man wearing a red cap in the Alana Collection,
in which the sitter wears a similar black tunic and red cap and is shown in an
analogous three-quarter profle.
Like the Friedsam portrait, in the early 20th century, the present painting was
attributed to Sandro Botticelli, Biagio’s contemporary. Indeed, both artists were
strongly infuenced by Andrea del Verrocchio, particularly in the genre of portraiture.
Giorgio Vasari even mistook Biagio’s early altarpiece for the church of San Domenico
del Maglio in Florence (Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest) as an autograph work
by Verrocchio. Though he was born and likely trained in Florence, Biagio spent
most of his career in Faenza. Nevertheless, he appears to have kept abreast of artistic
developments in the city of his birth. In 1481, he joined Botticelli, Perugino,
Domenico Ghirlandaio, Luca Signorelli, and Cosimo Rosselli in Rome to help
decorate the walls of the Sistine Chapel. Biagio painted the fresco of the Crossing of
the Red Sea, and also collaborated with Rosselli and Ghirlandaio on their respective
frescoes of the Last Supper and the Calling of the First Disciples. In addition to producing
many independent altarpieces throughout his career, Biagio often worked on projects
with other artists, assisting Ghirlandaio on one of the frescoes for the Sassetti Chapel
in Santa Trinità, Florence, and painting several cassone and spalliere panels with Jacopo
del Sellaio.
We are grateful to Everett Fahy for identifying this painting as by Biagio d’Antonio
on the basis of frsthand inspection. Dr. Fahy suggests that this portrait dates to
Biagio’s middle period, around the time that he was working on the Sistine Chapel.

76
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THE MASTER OF THE FIESOLE EPIPHANY
(active Florence, 15th century)

The Madonna and Child

tempera and gold on panel, shaped top, in an engaged frame
28æ x 18º in. (73 x 46.3 cm.)

$100,000-150,000
£67,000-100,000
€75,000-110,000

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Europe.
T his touching representation of the Madonna and Child is a rare, early work by the
Master of the Fiesole Epiphany. Sharing the same golden hair and rosy-cheeked
complexions, the Christ Child and his mother gaze at the viewer, their expressions
tinged with sorrow. Their tender embrace is tempered by the foreknowledge of
Christ’s future sacrifce—an event alluded to by the altar-like carved stone block on
which the child stands. The crucifx on Christ’s necklace serves as a further reminder
of his destiny, which is rendered all the more poignant by the coral beads, believed
in the Renaissance to have apotropaic power. Behind the stone wall, two Cyprus
trees are silhouetted against a blue sky. Through this arrangement, the artist places the
Virgin and Child within a sacred precinct, yet at the same time situates them within
a familiar Tuscan landscape.
First identifed by Everett Fahy in 1967, the Master of the Fiesole Epiphany is
so named for a large panel representing the Epiphany of Christ in the church of
San Francesco in Fiesole (E. Fahy, “Some Early Italian Pictures in the Gambier-
Perry Collection”, The Burlington Magazine, CIX, No. 768, 1967, p. 128-139).
The eponymous work, as Fahy observes, shows the infuence of one of the Master’s
purported teachers, Cosimo Rosselli (1439-1507), and also bears stylistic similarities
to works by Jacopo del Sellaio (1441-1493). Fahy has suggested that the anonymous
Master may, in fact, be identifable with Filippo di Giuliano (1449-1503), an artist
who shared a workshop with Jacopo in Florence after 1473. Other works by the
Master of the Fiesole Epiphany are preserved in the Courtauld Gallery, London and
the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, as well as in other museums and private
collections throughout Europe and America. The artist’s work has most recently
received signifcant scholarly attention from Anna Padoa Rizzo in the exhibition
catalogue Maestri e botteghe: pitture a Firenze alla fne del Quattrocento (Florence, Palazzo
Strozzi, 1992-1993, pp. 163-164).

78
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WORKSHOP OF ANDREA DELLA ROBBIA
(Florence 1435-1525)

FLORENCE, LATE 15TH CENTURY

A polychrome glazed circular terracotta relief of St. Jerome
Centered by St. Jerome holding a book, a lion at his feet, within a border of fruiting foliage of
acorns, olives and grapes and fowers including tulips and morning glories, the reverse inscribed
three times in black, twice C
29º in. (74 cm.) high, 30º in. (77 cm.) wide

$400,000-600,000
£270,000-400,000
€300,000-450,000

PROVENANCE:
Adolf List Collection, Magdeburg;
His forced sale; Hans W. Lange, Berlin, 30 March,
1939, lot 257.
W hile the Della Robbia dynasty was renowned for its elaborate altarpieces,
stemmi and smaller devotional reliefs of the Virgin and Child, they also
created intricate medallions representing single saintly fgures meant to be installed in
Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia; the walls and ceilings of churches. The present relief, with its sumptuously draped St.
Sale, Van Ham, Cologne, 17 November, 2012, lot Jerome surrounded by a rich fruiting and fowering wreath, is evocative of this vein
1295, where acquired by the present owner;
of their production. St. Jerome is here represented seated next to a lion and holding a
Offered following a settlement agreement with the
heirs of Adolf and Helene List, 2013, resolving the book, two attributes with which he is frequently associated. The lion became Jerome’s
dispute over ownership of the work. lifelong companion after he removed a thorn from its injured paw. The book, no
doubt, makes reference to Jerome’s translation of the Old and New Testaments
into Latin.
Comparisons can be drawn between the present relief and a group of three similar
works by Andrea della Robbia: one in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Madrid
representing St. Augustine and two in the Skulpturensammlung, Staatliche Mussen
zu Berlin, Bode-Museum representing St. Gregory the Great and St. Ambrose (A.
Radcliffe, et al., The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection: Renaissance and later sculpture,
London, 1992, pp. 92-95, no. 10, fgs. 1-2, (entry by Radcliffe)). These reliefs were
from a series representing the four fathers of the Church, of which the fourth
medallion, depicting St. Jerome, is lost. The three extant reliefs are frst
documented in the collection of the Florentine dealer, Stefano Bardini.
By the 1890’s, the Berlin reliefs were in the collection of James Simon
and subsequently given to the city’s museums while the Madrid relief
was purchased by Johannes II, Prince of Liechtenstein in Vienna
in 1896 (A. Radcliffe, op. cit., p. 92, 94). All three depict seated
saintly fgures in elaborate draperies surrounded by various religious
attributes set within richly enameled fruiting and fowering frames.
In addition, all they are of similar size to the present lot. When
it appeared on the art market in 2012, it was suggested that the
present relief was the fourth fgure, representing St. Jerome. And,
the present relief, like the two in Berlin and the one Madrid,
can also be clearly linked to Andrea della Robbia’s workshop.
Interestingly, all three of these reliefs, including the present one, were
in Central European collections by the early 20th century. The present
relief was part of the industrialist Adolf Lists’ celebrated collection of
early ceramics and works of art housed in his Renaissance Revival palace,
known as the Villa List in Magdeburg.
The present lot is accompanied by a thermoluminescence test indicating the
terracotta was fred in the late 15th or early 16th century.
80
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TOMMASO
(active Florence late 15th and early 16th centuries)

The Madonna and Child with the Young St. John the Baptist
and an angel in a landscape
oil on panel, circular
34æ in. (88.2 cm.) diameter

$600,000-800,000
£400,000-530,000
€450,000-600,000

P robably originally intended for a private, domestic setting, this well-preserved

and vividly-colored tondo exemplifes the surviving oeuvre of the artist called
‘Tommaso’, who was probably active throughout much of his career in the workshop
PROVENANCE: of Lorenzo di Credi (c. 1456-1536). Tommaso’s highly individual artistic personality
John Rushout, 2nd Lord Northwick (1770-1859), was frst identifed by Giovanni Morelli in the late 19th century (I. Lermolieff,
Thirlestaine House, Cheltenham; Phillips, London,
‘Kunstkritische Studien uber Italianische Malerei. Die Galerien Borghese und Doria
31 July 1859 (=6th day), lot 574, as Lorenzo di Credi
(£240 to the following). Panfli in Rom’, Leipzig, 1890, pp. 114-115) and further investigated in the 20th
John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge-Erle-Drax, M.P. by Bernard Berenson. His artistic development unfolded during one of the most
(1800-1887) and by descent to his great-nephew innovative and exciting periods in the history of Florentine painting—the dawn of
John C. W. Sawbridge-Erle-Drax, Olantigh Towers,
the High Renaissance—and refects not only the infuence of Lorenzo di Credi, but
Wye, Kent; Christie’s, London, 28 June 1929, lot 92,
as Lorenzo di Credi (945 gns. to F. Sabin). also that of a number of other great Quattrocento masters, including Filippino Lippi,
with Frank Sabin, London; Christie’s, London, Piero di Cosimo, Verrocchio, and Leonardo da Vinci.
6 December 1946, lot 85 as Lorenzo di Credi Here, Lorenzo di Credi’s infuence is evident in the arrangement of the fgures
(500 gns. to H. Richards). and the physiognomy of the Christ child, both of which derive from compositions
LITERATURE:
by Credi such as that in the tondo of the Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist
(Probably) G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great and Angels in the Uffzi, Florence (inv. 3244). Equally notable are the stylistic links to
Britain, London, 1854, III, p. 196, as Lorenzo di Leonardo da Vinci, apparent in the panoramic landscape and the silhouetting of the
Credi. Madonna and Child, against a deep green tree recalling Leonardo’s Portrait of Ginevra
B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance:
Florentine School, London, 1963, I, p. 208; II,
de’ Benci (Washington, National Gallery, inv. 1967.6.1.a). The singular expressiveness
pl. 1179. of the strongly modeled, plastically emphatic fgures are typical of Tommaso’s most
developed, fully mature style of the frst decade of the Cinquecento, and are closely
comparable to two other tondi by Tommaso —one that sold at Sotheby’s, London, 21
April 1982, lot 76, and a second in the Musée Fabre, Montpellier—which are both,
however, less confdent and refned, suggesting that they date to an earlier phase in
Tommaso’s career.
The present work was formerly in the celebrated collection of John Rushout, Lord
Northwick. Consisting of Old Master and contemporary paintings, prints, coins,
miniatures, enamels, and other decorative objects, the Northwick collection was
among the greatest of the 19th century, and was initially held at Northwick Park,
near Moreton-in-March, Gloucestershire. When this became too small, Northwick
purchased Thirlestaine House in Cheltenham, to which he allowed access to any art
lovers who wished to see the collection. Upon Rushout’s death in 1859, his estate was
dispersed in a series of sales over 22 days. Among the masterpieces auctioned were
great works by Francesco Francia, Annibale Carracci, Salvator Rosa, Beccafumi, and
Raphael.
Along with at least nine pictures from at the Northwick sale, the present Tommaso
tondo passed into the collection of John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge-Erle-Drax at
Oltanigh. Paintings that share this distinguished provenance include masterworks such
as Vicenzo Catena’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt, now in Pasadena at the Norton Simon
Museum, and Le Nain’s The Last Supper, now in Paris at the Louvre.

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 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

134
LORENZO DI CREDI
(Florence c. 1456-1536)

Saint Dominic; Saint Thomas Aquinas; and Saint Peter Martyr

oil on panel, unframed
each approximately 12º x 7¬ in. (31.1 x 19.3 cm.)
a set of three (3)
$250,000-350,000
£170,000-230,000
€190,000-260,000

PROVENANCE:
with A.L. Nicholson, London, 1925 until at least
1927.
with L.N. Malmedé, Cologne, by 1933.
T he present panels depicting Saint Dominic, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint
Peter Martyr were formerly framed with a panel showing a fourth Dominican
saint, Saint Antoninus, in a matching niche (Christie’s, London, 6 July 2010, lot 2,
with W.W. Paech, Amsterdam, by 1937, no. 12. £109,250). As Van Marle observed and Dalli Regoli agreed, the four panels must
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London, 10 July 1968, originally have fanked a ffth, frontally-oriented saint of the same size, sometimes
lot 50 (with fourth companion panel), as ‘L. di Credi’
identifed as the Saint Vincent Ferrer most recently recorded in the Colonna collection,
(£1,800 to J. Hargreaves).
with L.N. Malmedé, Cologne, from whom acquired Turin (Dalli Regoli, 1966, op. cit., no. 125, fg. 157).
in 1968 by the family of the present owner. A sixth panel depicting Saint Catherine of Siena surfaced at Sotheby’s, London,
3 July 1997, lot 60: this may have been the left-hand element, and was probably
LITERATURE:
balanced on the right by another panel depicting a female saint of the order. The
A. Venturi, Studii dal vero: Attraverso le raccolte
artistiche d’Europa, Milan, 1927, p. 69, fg. 38. entire group presumably formed the predella of a Dominican altarpiece in which the
R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian Schools Saint Dominic and Saint Thomas Aquinas would have been on the left side and Saint
of Painting, The Hague, XIII, 1931 (reprinted 1970), Peter Martyr on the right, along with the Saint Antoninus. Although the present panels
p. 269 (p. 316 in 1970 version), as studio of Lorenzo
were regarded by Venturi as early works by Credi, the predella is instead characteristic
di Credi.
B. Degenhart, ‘Die Schüler des Lorenzo di Credi’, of Credi’s later maturity, and was dated by Dalli Regoli to the frst decade of the
Münchner Jahrbuch, IX, 1932, p. 128, as Michele di Cinquecento, well after Credi had taken over the workshop of Andrea del Verrochio
Ridolfo. in which he had trained alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Pietro Perugino (G. Dalli
G. Dalli Regoli, Lorenzo di Credi, Milan, 1966, p. 159, Regoli, 1978, loc. cit.).
part of no. 126, fgs. 158, 160, 161.
G. Dalli Regoli, ‘Precisazioni sul Credi’, Critica
Saint Dominic (1170-1221) was the founder of one of the two great mendicant
d’Arte, XXXVI, 1971, p. 78. orders established in the 13th century, formally securing papal approval for ‘The
Order of the Preachers’, as the Dominicans were then called, in 1216. Saint Thomas
Aquinas, his great theologian-disciple, was born just a few years later in 1225. A
Doctor of the Church, Thomas Aquinas most famously wrote the Summa Theologica
and Summa contra Gentiles, whose lasting importance in the history of Western thought
are uncontested. Saint Peter Martyr, also known as Saint Peter of Verona (1206-
1252), was also a Dominican friar as well as a celebrated preacher said to have studied
at the University of Bologna, where he met Saint Dominic. Peter’s attribute, the
symbol of his martyrdom, is the knife with which he was assassinated in April 1252,
visible in the present depiction plunged into his back. Peter’s canonization, which
took place in March of 1253, was the swiftest in papal history.

84
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POSSIBLY BY GREGORIO DI LORENZO
(Florence c. 1436-Forlì 1504)

FLORENCE, LATE 15TH CENTURY

A carved marble rectangular portrait relief of a man, possibly Lorenzo Soderini
Representing a man in profle wearing a fur-lined cape, with metal hanging ring to the reverse
18º in. (46.5 cm.) high, the relief

$50,000-80,000
£34,000-53,000
€38,000-60,000

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, United States.

T his relief portrait of a man beautifully represents both

the elegance and severity of Renaissance portraiture in
stone. The noble bearing, thoughtful, slightly furrowed brow,
its underside: LORENZO DI M[ESSER] / TOMASO DI
GV/CCIO SODERINI. And while the Jaquemart-André bust
obviously depicts a much older man, when the bust is viewed in
and the simplicity of the clothing, background and frame would profle, allowing the Jaquemart-André profle and the present
have appealed to the most sophisticated late-15th century lot’s profle to be compared more precisely, the faces do appear
Florentine connoisseurs. Previously unpublished, it is very similar (F. del la Moureyre-Gavoty, Institut de France, Paris,
likely by the hand of Gregorio di Lorenzo. Born in Florence Musxe Jacquemart-Andrx: Sculpture Italienne, Paris, 1975, p. 138).
around 1436, Gregorio was pupil of the sculptor Desiderio da So it is possible that the present relief might also represent
Settignano, in whose workshop he is documented in 1455. In Lorenzo Soderini, albeit at a considerably younger age, and that
1461 Gregorio opened his own workshop of marble carvers in Gregorio portrayed the sitter on two separate occasions, many
the piazza di San Giovanni in Florence and immediately began years apart.
to receive prestigious commissions from important patrons, As Caglioti has demonstrated, Lorenzo di messer Tommaso
such as the marble and stone lavabo (1461–62) for the Badia of Soderini (February 1433–c. 1479) was the only surviving son
Fiesole ordered by Cosimo de Medici. For the courts of Naples from the frst marriage of Tommaso di Lorenzo Soderini
and Ferrara, Gregorio executed two series of profle portraits (1403–1485), a strong supporter of the Medici family and
of the Twelve Caesars (1472), and from 1475 until 1490 he one of the most signifcant political fgures of Quattrocento
was active at the royal court of Matthias Corvinus in Hungary. Florence. Lorenzo Soderini was Prior of the Republic for the
Gregorio returned to Florence in the early 1490s before moving district of Santo Spirito in 1463, participated in the conspiracy
to Forlì, where he collaborated with the Lombard sculptors against Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici in 1465, was restored to
Giovanni Ricci (c. 1440/50–1523) and Tommaso Fiamberti on offce in 1468, and died a little before 1480. Caglioti believes
the Numai Monument (1502) in Santa Maria dei Servi. that Gregorio di Lorenzo carved the Jacquemart-André bust
The carving of the hair in the present relief, with short, well after Lorenzo Soderini’s death (Cagliotti, op. cit., p.
comma-like strokes, is especially similar to that in the bust 214). In order to do so, the sculptor would have had to rely
of Lorenzo di messer Tommaso Soderini in the Musée on previous representations of the sitter, personal knowledge
Jacquemart-André in Paris, which Francesco Caglioti has of his appearance, or pure invention. Might Gregorio have
recently convincingly attributed to Gregorio di Lorenzo and been commissioned to carve the posthumous bust of Lorenzo
dated to c. 1493–1495 (F. Caglioti, ‘Due false attribuzioni a Soderini because he had already portrayed the sitter in the
Giovanni Bastianini falsario, ovvero due busti di Gregorio di present portrait relief? Whether or not the present relief
Lorenzo, ex ‘Maestro delle Madonne di marmo,’ in Conosco un represents a younger Lorenzo Soderini, it is still an exciting
ottimo storico dell’arte…: Per Enrico Castelnuovo. Scritti di amici e new discovery and a refned example of Renaissance portraiture.
allievi pisani, ed. by M. M. Donato and M. Ferretti, Pisa, 2012, Christie’s would like to thank Professor Alfredo Bellandi for
pp. 207 –212). The identity of the sitter in the Jacquemart- his help in preparing this catalogue entry.
André bust is clearly indicated by an inscription carved into

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STUDIO OF ALESSANDRO FILIPEPI,
CALLED SANDRO BOTTICELLI
(Florence 1444/45-1510)

The Madonna and Child in a niche

tempera, oil and gold on panel
32 x 21æ in. (81.3 x 55.2 cm.)

$500,000-700,000
£340,000-470,000
€380,000-520,000

PROVENANCE:
with Agnew’s, London.
Private colletion, Europe.
T his engaging composition must have been popular among Botticelli’s patrons,
as numerous surviving versions attest. A number of these are listed in Ronald
Lightbown’s catalogue raisonné of Botticelli’s paintings, including, among others,
LITERATURE: a panel in the Galleria Colonna, Rome; a panel formerly the collection of Alina,
L. Bellosi, ‘Il recupero di un autografo del Botticelli’, Countess of Carnarvon (sold Christie’s, 22 May 1922, lot 58); a canvas in the
Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; a tondo in the Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris; and a
Florenz, LIII, no. 1, 2009, pp. 154-155, fg. 10,
as ‘pittore botticelliano’. tondo in the collection of Senator and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim, New York (see R.
Lightbown, Sandro Botticelli: life and work, London, 1989, no. C67). In 2009, Luciano
Bellosi (loc. cit.) added the present Madonna and Child to this list, pointing out several
other related compositions from Botticelli’s studio, including a tondo in the Denver
Museum of Fine Arts.
Bellosi has argued that a version deaccessioned in 1990 by the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, and purchased by a private collector who subsequently had it cleaned,
is the original, autograph work by Botticelli on which all the other versions were
based (ibid.). While it is possible that the ex-Boston picture was painted by Botticelli,
the master’s studio was more complicated than Bellosi’s hypothesis suggests. Current
scholarship regarding Botticelli’s studio practice suggests that the workshop was a
collaborative environment in which the master provided designs and executed pictures
on his own while also supervising his employees and intervening, when he wished,
in pictures that had been delegated to them. It is likely, in fact, that a number of
the known surviving versions of the present composition include some degree of
intervention by the master himself.
The present picture, which was not known to Lightbown when he published
his catalogue raisonné, is unique among all extant versions of the composition in its
inclusion of a delicate gray niche in the background, embellished with carved cherubs.
Set slightly in front of the niche, the fgures seem to project into the viewer’s own
space, physically immediate presences whose golden haloes and improbable grace
nonetheless remove them to a distant, otherworldly realm. The squirming bird in the
child’s hand is a goldfnch, symbol of Christ’s Passion, often included in images of the
Madonna and Child in Renaissance Florence.

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LATE 15TH-CENTURY FOLLOWER
OF ALESSANDRO FILIPEPI, CALLED
SANDRO BOTTICELLI
Christ the Redeemer holding the Crown of Thorns
tempera, oil and gold on panel, arched top, in an engaged frame
8¿ x 6 in. (20.6 x 15.2 cm.)

$40,000-60,000
£27,000-40,000
€30,000-45,000

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Europe.
B eginning in the 13th century, small paintings such as the present example were
sometimes used in the Roman Catholic liturgy to extend to the congregation the
osculum pacis, or ‘kiss of peace.’ After kissing the altar, the offciating priest embraced
his co-celebrants, who in turn would pass around this type of ritual object, known as
a pax, to be kissed by the laymen and women attending the Mass.
Intended to be held, this bust-length depiction of Christ set close to the picture
plane was designed to heighten the connection between the worshipper and the
divine. Gazing at the viewer, the Savior gestures toward the wound in his side while
holding the Crown of Thorns, thereby evoking his corporeality and his Passion,
which are both central to the Eucharistic ceremony in which this pax was used.
Haloed fgures appear in the landscape background illustrating scenes from the infancy
of Christ, providing the viewer with a more profound devotional experience. On the
right, Simeon receives the Infant Christ prior to the Presentation in the Temple.
Everett Fahy has associated the present work with a group of paintings by Botticelli
and his followers, including Jacopo del Sellaio and Fra Bartolomeo, all of which likely
draw upon Botticelli’s of c. 1495-1500. Man of Sorrows (Accademia Carrara, Bergamo,
inv. 58 MR 00005) as the primary source for their iconography and composition (see
A. Di Lorenzo and A. Zanni, Botticelli nelle collezioni Lombarde, exhibition catalogue,
pp. 80-82, no. 7).

90
(actual size)

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WORKSHOP OF LORENZO GHIBERTI
(Florence 1378-1455)

FLORENCE, MID-15TH CENTURY

A polychrome and parcel-gilt stucco relief of the Madonna and Child
Representing the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child in her arms, on a rectangular base
inscribed AVE MARIA GRACIIA PLEN[A], the reverse with a paper label inscribed in ink 2680
28º in. (71.5 cm.) high, 23 in. (58.5 cm.) wide, 8Ω in. (21.5 cm.) deep

$50,000-80,000
£34,000-53,000
€38,000-60,000

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, United States.
Private collection, Italy.

F ew artists of the Renaissance exerted as powerful an

infuence on sculpture as Lorenzo Ghiberti, the 15th
century master who created two seminal pairs of doors for
now lost, which infuenced artists of his generation (R.
Krautheimer, ‘Terra Cotta Madonnas,’ Parnassus, VIII, no. 7,
Dec. 1936, p. 7.). Ghiberti, in turn, was inspired by the work
the Florentine baptistery and whose workshop included such of artists of preceding centuries as well as Byzantine painters’
notable fgures as Donatello, Paolo Uccello, Michelozzo and ‘Gylkophilusa’ type of the Virgin holding the Christ Child to
Benozzo Gozzoli. While his monumental bronzes garnered him her visage, which foreshadow the endearing nature of his own
great fame, his work extended into other realms. Indeed, in works (Krautheimer, op. cit., p. 37). Krautheimer proposes a
his 1447/48 autobiography he boasts, ‘Also for many painters, dating of 1430-1450 for the extant Madonna and Child reliefs
sculptors and stone-carvers I provided the greatest honors in (Krautheimer, op. cit, p. 7).
their works [for] I have made very many models in wax and Recent scholarship has largely affrmed his hypotheses. Two
clay and for the painters I have designed very many things... stucco reliefs similar to the present group and attributed to the
Few things of importance were made in our city that were not workshop of Ghiberti were recently shown in the exhibition
designed or devised by my hand’ (cited in R. Krautheimer and The Springtime of the Renaissance (B. Paolozzi Strozzi and M.
T. Krautheimer-Hess, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Princeton, 1956, p. Bormand, eds., The Springtime of the Renaissance: Sculpture and
15). The present relief of the Virgin and Child is exemplary the Arts in Florence 1400-60, Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, 23 March
of private devotional works created in Ghiberti’s studio, a - 18 August 2013; Paris, Musée du Louvre, 26 September 2013
production that fourished in 15th century Florence. - 6 January 2014, pp. 426-429, nos. VIII.2-3). The frst, from
In this charming relief, the Virgin wears a billowing mantle the Musei Civici Fiorentini-Museo Stefano Bardini in Florence
and tunic and inclines her head towards her son. With the palm (inv. MCF-MB 1922-722) depicts the Virgin and Child on
of her left hand, she gently presses the Christ Child against her, a plinth with two angels bearing a wreath, and Antonella
and their faces join in a tender embrace, creating a scene at Nesi both affrms its association with the Ghiberti workshop
once peaceful and melancholy, as both mother and son refect - proposing a dating of the late 1430s to the early 1440s -
on his fate. On the base of the plinth, an inscription - fanked and connects it with Ghiberti’s renowned Gates of Paradise
by coats of arms - reads “Ave Maria Graciia Plen[a],” further (c. 1426-1452) (Nesi, op. cit., p. 426). The second stucco from
inviting the viewer to engage with the fgures. Owing to their the Venerabile Arciconfraternita della Misericordia, Florence
popularity, similar models were widely disseminated during the (inv. 10260) displays greater similarities to the present work
Renaissance, notably from Ghiberti’s workshop. These reliefs including the striped highlights on the virgin’s veil, and again,
were created in molds and further built up and refned by hand. Nesi connects it with Ghiberti’s work on the Gates of Paradise,
They were subsequently painted in bright colors to render proposing a dating of the late 1430’s (Nesi, op. cit., p. 428).
the fgures more lifelike. Further details were added by hand As these examples suggest, while the production of Ghiberti’s
including the delicate gilding and stippling to the edges of the workshop was prolifc, the connection of this particular design
garments and undergarments. to the master - one of the greatest sculptors of the Renaissance
Richard Krautheimer suggests that the extant editions of - remains clear.
this model are based on a previous work likely by Ghiberti,

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PANCIATICO DI ANTONELLO DA CALVI
(Calvi c. 1445-before 1513 Viterbo)

The Prophet Jeremiah, in a roundel

incribed ‘GEREMIA.PROFETA’ (on the halo) and ‘.ECCE.VIRGHO.CHONCIPIET.’
(on the banderole)
oil on panel, circular
19¿ in. (48.6 cm.), diameter

$150,000-250,000
£100,000-170,000
€120,000-190,000

PROVENANCE:
with Leo Nardus, Suresnes and New York, 1928,
(according to a photograph in the Biblioteca
Berenson, I Tatti).
T his expressive roundel depicting one of the four greater prophets, Jeremiah,
was painted by Panciatico di Antonello da Calvi (sometimes called Pancrazio),
a pupil of Benozzo Gozzoli. The better part of Benozzo’s early career was spent in
Private collection, France. Umbria, working in and around Montefalco and also in Viterbo. It was in Viterbo
with Galerie Fischer, Lucerne, June 1959, lot 1845, that Benozzo came into contact with Panciatico, much of whose work remains in that
as Benozzo Gozzoli.
city. An altarpiece by Panciatico showing The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine with
Private collection, Italy, 1970s.
Private collection, Italy, until 2006, where acquired Saint John the Baptist (Viterbo, Museo Civico) is dated 1477, but Bernard Berenson,
by the present owner. who frst recognized the author of the present picture (loc. cit.), has suggested that the
Prophet Jeremiah dates to 1471. Berenson also identifed three other panels related to
LITERATURE:
this work, a Prophet Daniel roundel and two full-length images of standings saints,
B. Berenson, Homeless Paintings of the Renaissance,
Bloomington, 1969, pp. 194-195, fg. 358c. John the Baptist and James the Greater (all whereabouts unknown). These works are
important additions to Panciatico’s limited oeuvre, and also enrich our understanding
of Benozzo Gozzoli’s infuence in the provinces of Umbria.
As Berenson observed, the banderole in the present roundel is inscribed ‘ECCE
. VIRGHO . CHONCIPIET.’, the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah (frst appearing
in Isaiah 7:14) which paraphrases the Gospel’s narration of the Angel Gabriel’s
announcement to Mary: ‘And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear
a son and call his name Jesus’ (Luke 1:31). However, as clearly inscribed on the
present fgure’s halo, the Prophet represented here is Jeremiah, who is commonly
associated with another phrase related to the Annunuciation prophecy, ‘FEMINIA
CIRCUMDABIT VIRUM’ (‘A woman shall embrace all humanity’; Jeremiah 31:22).
This discrepancy, as Berenson notes, is ‘unusual and curious’ (loc. cit.).
It is likely that the present roundel was originally part of a set of four prophets,
which may have been intended for a program of wall decoration. Photographs in the
archives of Berenson’s Villa I Tatti in Settignano, outside of Florence, show both
the present Prophet Jeremiah and the related Prophet Daniel inserted into vertical panels
embellished with decorative motifs, and may provide a clue as to their original setting.

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MICHELE DI MICHELE CIAMPANTI,
CALLED THE MASTER OF STRATONICE
(Documented 1470-1510)

The Madonna and Child with an angel holding a basket of fruit

tempera and gold on maroufaged panel, arched top
29¿ x 17¬ in. (56.2 x 44.8 cm.)

$150,000-200,000
£100,000-130,000
€120,000-150,000

PROVENANCE:
August and Serena Lederer, Vienna, by 1931;
Confscated by the Zentralstelle für
Denkmalschutz, 1939 as ‘Florentine Master’;
T his fnely preserved panel is a characteristic work by the painter commonly
known as the Master of Stratonice, an original, idiosyncratic artistic personality
frst identifed by Bernard Berenson in 1931 (loc. cit.) and named for a cassone panel in
Transferred to the Creditanstalt Bankverein the Huntington Museum (San Marino, California). Although less than ffteen works
Innsbruck; have been attributed to him since then, Everett Fahy has pointed out that ‘few painters
Restituted by the Bundesdenkmalamt to the heir
evoke as much curious fascination’ as the Stratonice Master, who he describes as ‘an
of Serena Lederer, 27 November 1950.
Private collection, Europe; Christie’s, London, artist of distinct quality deserving of wider recognition’ (loc. cit.).
22 April 1994, lot 56 (£76,300). Although the Stratonice Master was initially described by Berenson to be a
Sienese follower of Francesco di Giorgio who was also exposed to the art of Matteo
LITERATURE:
di Giovanni (1931; loc. cit.), Fahy subsequently noted Lucchese aspects in his work
B. Berenson, ‘Paintings without a home, the
Sienese ffteenth century’, Dedalo, XI, 1931 (initially pointed out to him by Zeri), and identifed one of his paintings as having been
(reprinted in) B. Berenson, Homeless Paintings of the a Lucchese commission (op. cit., pp. 25-27). In 1985, Maurizia Tazartes discovered
Renaissance, London, 1969, pp. 62-63, fg. 92. a document of 1482 recording the commission of the Stratonice Master’s triptych of
R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian Schools
the Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist, Vitus, Modest, and Peter (church
of Painting, The Hague, 1937, XVI, pp. 512-513.
E. Fahy, ‘Some notes on the Stratonice Master’, of Santi Vito e Modesto at Montignoso di Massa) to Michele Ciampanti, whose
Paragone, CXCVII, 1966, p. 24. name was already known from late 15th-century Lucchese documents, confrming
B.B. Fredericksen, ‘The Earliest Painting by the Fahy’s hypothesis of the Stratonice Master’s Lucchese origins (M. Tazartes, ‘Anagrafe
Stratonice Master’, Paragone, CXCVII, 1966, p. 54, lucchese-II. Michele Ciampanti: il Maestro di Stratonice?’, Ricerche di Storia dell’Arte,
pl. 21.
B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance:
XXVI, 1985, pp. 18-27).
Central Italian and North Italian Schools, London, Fahy has also pointed out the Stratonice Master’s connection to Florentine art,
1968, I, p. 256; II, pl. 832. in particular to the works of Botticelli, and Filippino Lippi and also to that of Luca
M. Tazartes, ‘Anagrafe lucchese - II. Michele Signorelli (loc. cit.). The present Madonna and Child with an angel is among the most
Ciampanti: Il Maestro Stratonice?’, Ricerche di Storia
dell’Arte, XXVI, 1985, p. 22, fg. 8.
compelling examples of the Florentine aspect of Ciampanti’s career, and has been
M. Tazartes, ‘Nouvelles perspectives sur la peinture universally dated to his middle period, c. 1475. The composition, for example, was
lucquoise du Quattrocento’, Revue de l’Art, LXXV, clearly inspired by Botticelli’s Chigi Madonna of c. 1470 (Boston, Isabella Stewart
1987, pp. 31-32, fg. 11. Gardner Museum), whose balustrade open to a winding landscape, elegantly posed
A. Galli in Francesco di Giorgio e il Rinascimento a
Madonna and Christ child, and wreathed angel offering fruit it closely approximates.
Siena, 1450-1550, exhibition catalogue, Siena, 1993,
p. 525. Here, however, the fgures’ mysterious, otherworldly expressions are Ciampanti’s
own, at home among the ‘swift, linear patterns, elegant postures, and above all the
rarefed palette of gem-like hues’, which give the viewer the distinctive sense of
Ciampanti’s works as ‘quiet, melancholy reveries’ (Fahy, op. cit., p. 19).

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CIRCLE OF LEONARDO DA VINCI
(Anchiano, near Vinci 1452-1519 Amboise, near Tours)

The Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
oil and gold on panel
28º x 19√ in. (71.8 x 50.5 cm.)

$300,000-400,000
£200,000-270,000
€230,000-300,000

PROVENANCE:
(Possiby) Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London,
23 July 1952, lot 127.
Private collection, Europe.
T his panel representing the Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
is one of a small group of works which preserve a lost composition by Leonardo
da Vinci. The delicate and subtle painting technique closely approximates Leonardo’s
sfumato, so that the surfaces and outlines seem enveloped in a softening haze. The
picture is also inspired by a number of the great master’s motifs, such as the widespread
arms of Mary, which most obviously recall the Virgin in the two famous Virgin of
the Rocks pictures (Louvre, Paris, inv. 777; and National Gallery, London, inv. NG
1093). A drawing by Leonardo in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv.
17.142.1) and a second in the Royal Collection, Windsor (inv. RL 12560) show the
master exploring this pose, and three sketches in the Royal Collection, London and
the Getty Museum, Los Angeles, respectively, show a similar motif of the Christ child
embracing the lamb. It has been suggested that Leonardo began developing the pose
for the Virgin in the mid-1480s in preparation for the Paris Virgin of the Rocks, while
the sketches exploring the motif of the Christ child probably date to the frst years of
the 16th century, and are likely to have been studies for the Saint Anne in the Louvre,
Paris (inv. 776; see V. Delieuvin, Saint Anne: Leonardo da Vinci’s Ultimate Masterpiece,
exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2012, p. 256).
In addition to the present work, few painted versions of the composition are
known: a picture at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (frst published by Wilhelm
Suida when it was in the Henry Harris collection, London); a second at the Château
de Flers, Villeneuve-d’Ascq; a tondo in the Gallarati Scotti collection, Milan (formerly
attributed to Cesare da Sesto); and a picture variously attributed to Leonardo’s Spanish
followers Fernando Llanos and Fernanrdo Yáñez de la Almedina in the Palazzo Pitti,
Florence (inv. 1890 n. 1335), probably the best-known of the group. The latter
work was shown in Paris at the Louvre’s 2012 exhibition Saint Anne: Leonardo da
Vinci’s Ultimate Masterpiece. In the catalogue, Vincent Delieuvin discusses the various
treatments of the composition, arguing that there was indeed ‘a famous original
by Leonardo that has now been lost’, and suggesting that the surviving versions all
probably date to the frst decade of the 16th century (loc. cit.). Indeed, the present
work, painted on poplar and clearly of Italian origin, seems to have been executed by
an artist in Leonardo’s immediate circle in the years just after 1500.
The head of the Madonna recalls that in a drawing of c. 1475-1480 by Leonardo,
preserved in the Gabinetto dei disegni e stampi in the Uffzi, Florence (inv. 428 E).

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 PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF RAYMOND ENKEBOLL

142
LUCA SIGNORELLI and WORKSHOP
(Cortona c. 1450-1523)

The Madonna and Child

oil on panel, circular
19Ω in. (49.5 cm.) diameter

$150,000-250,000
£100,000-170,000
€120,000-190,000

PROVENANCE:
with Agnew’s, London; Christie’s, London, 15 July
1960, lot 82, as ‘Signorelli’ (190 gns. to ‘Dent’).
with Central Picture Galleries, New York, by 1962
T his elegant tondo exemplifes the fgure types and proportions that characterize
the work of Luca Signorelli in the mid- to late 1490s, as particularly evident in
pictures painted at Città di Castello, such as the Adoration of the Magi (Paris, Louvre);
(according to a photograph in the Fondazione the Adoration of the Shepherds (London, National Gallery, inv. NG1133); and the
Federico Zeri archives). Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (Città di Castello, Pinacoteca Comunale). These years were
among the most fruitful in Signorelli’s career, with the artist traveling throughout the
Italian countryside to fulfll a series of prestigious commissions. Paintings produced
during this period were copied by Raphael and Piero di Cosimo, and culminated in
Signorelli’s 1499 contract to complete the vault of the cathedral at Orvieto - a project
abandoned some ffty years earlier by Fra Angelico - which remains arguably his most
ambitious and celebrated work. During this period, Signorelli had one or possibly two
gifted assistants working alongside him, who doubtlessly worked on these complex
and demanding campaigns. One of these assistants may have been responsible, at least
in part, for the execution of the present work, which is based on a cartoon created by
the master and harmoniously adapted to the tondo format.
The composition of the present work relates to Signorelli’s Madonna and Child
in the Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, whose dating remains a complicated question
given the present understanding of Signorelli’s artistic development. Variations from
the Bergamo picture, however, include the omission of the haloes, the less sharply
inclined head of the Madonna, and the addition of an elegant, stylized landscape
- deftly rendered with just a few strokes of the artist’s brush - which occupies the
additional space at left and right, situating the holy fgures in a mystical, otherworldly
realm.

100
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WORKSHOP OF GIOVANNI
DELLA ROBBIA
(Florence 1469-1529/30)

FLORENCE, MID-16TH CENTURY

A polychrome glazed circular terracotta relief with the arms of the Acciaiuoli family
Centered by the stemma of the Acciaiuoli family of a rampant lion within a shield, surrounded
by a border of pears, grapes, chestnuts, pinecones, apples, poppy seeds or pomegranates, lemons
and fgs, each with their specifc foliage and interspersed with fowers and wheat, the reverse with a
typed paper label 15/F...
30 in. (76 cm.) high, 29Ω in. (75 cm.) wide

$40,000-60,000 PROVENANCE:
Acciaiuoli Family, Florence.
£27,000-40,000 Contini Bonacossi Collection, Florence.
(Possibly) Corsi Collection, Florence.
€30,000-45,000
Private collection.

C entered by the arms of the illustrious Acciaiuoli family, this impressive stemma is both
emblematic of their Florentine legacy and exemplary of the Della Robbia production.
Stemmi, coats of arms surrounded by foral garlands or inscriptions, were created to adorn the
façades, courtyards and ceilings of important Renaissance buildings in which the requisite family
or organization was active. They can still be found throughout Italy, and have served as lasting
records of civil and political activity.
From the frst generation onwards, the Della Robbia dynasty of Florentine sculptors and their
workshops created stemmi, and today these form a signifcant aspect of their extant oeuvres.
Notable examples include Lucca Della Robbia’s famed stemma of the Mercanzia (1463) on the
façade of Orsanmichele in Florence, and Andrea Della Robbia’s stemma of the Della Stufa Family
in the Palazzo Stufa (c. 1478), which, like the present example, depicts a rampant lion surrounded
by a fruit and foliage-entwined wreath (illus. A. Marquand, Robbia Heraldry, New York, 1972,
p. 37, no. 34, fg. 33). Under Giovanni’s leadership, production of stemmi in the family’s Via
Guelfa atelier fourished. His output is noted for its colorful glazes - a refection of his interest
in contemporary Florentine painting - and it is primarily on this basis that the present stemma
can be attributed to Giovanni’s workshop and distinguished from those of his ancestors
and siblings.
The Acciaiuoli are frst recorded in Florence in the 12th century, and were initially active
in banking, establishing an empire that spanned the Italian peninsula and stretched into
Greece. Subsequent generations formed close alliances with the Medici family, which
afforded them important civic and ecclesiastical appointments. Their landholdings
were widespread, including a group of properties on the eponymous Lungarno degli
Acciaiuoli in the shadows of the Ponte Vecchio. Owing to these assets, and to their
elevated status, the present stemma could have been created for any number of
prominent Florentine locales. The family’s coat of arms - representing a rampant
lion - also appears on either side of the predella of a Della Robbia altarpiece (c.
1497) in the family’s chapel in the Florentine church of SS. Apostoli (see A.
Marquand, op. cit. p. 111-112, no. 134, fg. 109), a connection that is not
surprising given the impact of both dynasties on the city of Florence.
The present lot is accompanied by a thermoluminescence test
stating the terracotta was fred in the 16th century.

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 PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED LADY

144
ALESSANDRO FILIPEPI,
CALLED SANDRO BOTTICELLI
(Florence 1444/5-1510)

The Madonna and Child with the Crown of Thorns and three nails
oil and gold on panel
26º x 20º in. (66.6 x 51.4 cm.)

$700,000-1,000,000
£470,000-670,000
€530,000-750,000

N ever before published, this painting is an unusual depiction of the Virgin and
Christ Child. Instead of sitting on a throne, she stands, staring to the left and
holding the nude Child high up against her chest. The design of the Virgin and Child
recalls the fgures of the Virgin and Child in the tondo in the Galleria Borghese, Rome,
the largest tondo surviving from the 15th century. Like the Virgin in the Borghese
tondo, the Virgin in the present picture wears a red dress and a dark blue mantle
with a pale blue plaid-like lining. The motif of the standing Virgin recurs in a similar
picture in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montreal. The Christ Child in the present
picture looks directly at the viewer, raises his right hand in benediction, and holds in
his left the crown of thorns and the three nails with which he will be hammered to
the cross. These symbols of the Passion of Christ can also be seen in other paintings
by Botticelli, such as his Lamentation in the Museo Poldi-Pezzoli, Milan, as well as in
late works by Filippino Lippi and Jacopo del Sellaio. The instruments of the passion
may refect the emotional power of Savonarola’s moral crusade to purify decadent
Florentines. An extreme example of this iconography occurs in a painting of the
Man of Sorrows introduced in the year 2009 at the Botticelli exhibition at the Städel
Museum, Frankfurt. Here Christ’s head is surrounded by a halo of ten small angels
bearing the instruments of the passion.
The iconography corresponds with the date suggested by the picture’s style. In the
1480s Botticelli increasingly simplifed the forms in his pictures, leading to almost
abstract designs. This development can be seen in the broad conception of paintings
like the Wemyss Adoration of the Christ Child now in the National Gallery of Scotland,
or the frescoes from the Villa Lemmi, now in the Louvre. The large infated drapery
in the latter has been frmly dated to about 1490 by Pat Simons’s identifcation of
the portraits in the frescoes of Giovanni Tornabuoni and his second wife, Ginevra
Gianfgliazzi. The broad conception of the drapery in the present picture must date
from the same time.
As a cursory glance can tell, areas of the painting have suffered. The background
is somewhat abraded and the Christ Child’s genitalia have been repainted, but the
rest of the fesh of the Christ Child and the face of the Virgin are in fne condition.
In a past restoration campaign the haloes were heavily gilded: originally they were
either dots or rays of shell-gold foating in a pale blue frmament, not solid disks. The
background appears to have suffered most. The wet gesso was incised for some sort
of arch behind the Virgin, and x-rays indicate the remains of foliage in the upper
left-hand corner of the background. This foliage probably included pink roses like
the blossoms on either side of the Virgin in Botticelli’s Piacenza tondo in the Museo
Civico di Palazzo Farnese.
This painting was recognized as an autograph Botticelli by Mina Gregori (written
communication, 22 December 1994) and several scholars have since endorsed her
attribution.
Everett Fahy
11 December 2013
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ATTRIBUTED TO WILLEM VAN DEN BROECK,
CALLED GUILIELMUS PALUDANUS
(Mechelen c. 1520-1579 Antwerp)

C. 1569
A bronze fgure of an écorché man, probably Hercules
Depicted leaning on a tree stump covered with a lion’s skin, on a later wooden base
17.7 in. (45 cm.) high, the bronze

$40,000-60,000
£27,000-40,000
€30,000-45,000

PROVENANCE:
Prof. Alessandro Parronchi (1914-2007), Florence.
Private collection, United States.

W illem van den Broeck, also known as Guilielmus

Paludanus, came from a family of artists. After settling
in Antwerp, he was admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke
Giambologna (1525-1608), as Charles Avery has discussed.
The most important of these is the dazzling terracotta Écorché of
a man, signed by Paludanus and dated 1569, which is now in
in 1557 and was granted citizenship in 1559. Paludanus is the Kunsthistorisches Museum (fg.1; C. Avery, Giambologna:
documented as providing statues and reliefs for the Antwerp The Complete Sculpture, Oxford, 1987, pp. 48, 50-51). The
Town Hall and Cathedral, the Dominican Church in Augsburg Vienna écorché seems to represent St. Bartholomew holding
(now the Römisch Museum) and other civic projects in the his fayed skin, as identifed by François Girardon in the early
1560’s and 1570’s. 18th century and Avery in the 1970’s and 1980’s. However,
This fascinating écorché is a sophisticated anatomical study the present bronze version by Paludanus appears to represent
in bronze but this is in contrast with the slightly rugged fnish another fgure, possibly Hercules, as symbolized by his classic
and heavy cast of the bronze. Little is known about the work pose and the fayed lion skin. There is no documented contact
of Paludanus, yet several of Paludanus’ sculptures are closely between Paludanus and Giambologna, yet the connection
tied to those of his more famous Flemish contemporary between the two artists seems very strong, particularly during
the 1560’s. The parallels between the artists are highlighted in
Paludanus’ terracotta écorché in Vienna, the present bronze
écorché and Giambologna’s Little Apollo in the Bargello, which
is dated to 1560, a year later than Paludanus’ terracotta (Avery,
op. cit., p. 48, fgs. 48, 49). All three compositions share the
same elegant serpentine poses. This aesthetic neck-in-neck, as
it were, is again illustrated by comparing the nearly identical
compositions of Paludanus’ Geometry and Astrology in the
Kunsthistorisches, dated 1569, and Giambologna’s terracotta of
the same subject in the Victoria and Albert Museum, also dated
to 1569 (Ibid., fgs. 50, 51).
This same terracotta écorché by Paludanus, was, at the
beginning of the 18th century, prominently displayed in the
collection of François Girardon, one of the most celebrated
collections of sculpture ever formed. Girardon (1628-1715),
named Surintendant des Bâtiments du Roi in 1664, continued
to work for Louis XIV for the remainder of his career. His
collection of sculpture was forever memorialized in a series of
(fg. 1) Guilielmus Paludanus , Muscle Man, (fg. 2) Details of plate III from the Galerie engravings known as the Galerie de Girardon (fg. 2). Although
de Girardon, engraved by Nicolas Chevalier
1569 (terracotta) / Kunsthistorisches the arrangement and architecture are imaginary, the sculpture
Museum, Vienna / Ali Meyer / The after the designs of René Charpentier,
1708. is precisely documented and the Paludanus écorché is clearly
Bridgeman Art Library
visible and identifed as by the artist as no. 25 in plate III.
106
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 146
GIOVANNI MARTINO SPANZOTTI
(active 1480-c. 1523)

Four Apostles
tempera and gold on panel, unframed
the third 9 x 6¬ in. (22.9 x 16.8 cm.) with an approximately Ω in. (1.3 cm.) wooden
addition to the right edge; the others approximately 9 x 8 in. (22.9 x 20.3 cm.) each

a set of four (4)

$40,000-60,000
£27,000-40,000
€30,000-45,000

T hese four expressive panels belong to a predella series frst discussed by Michel
Laclotte, who associated three panels in the Christian Museum in Esztergom
with a fourth picture formerly in the collection of Alex Shaw (M. Laclotte, ‘A propos
de quelques primitifs méditerranées’ in âtudes d’art franHais offertes à Charles Sterling,
Paris, 1975, pp. 145-150). The present works, previously unpublished, provide
important additional clues to the reconstruction of this once monumental altarpiece.
It is likely that the fgures, emphatically individualized, are apostles, each bearing an
attribute that would have immediately identifed him to a contemporary viewer, and
it is hoped that other works from the predella will come to light in the future.
Laclotte remarked upon the Esztergom and ex-Shaw panels’ rusticity and
expressiveness, and noted that the works—perhaps due to the unusual decorations
in the gold ground—had once been associated with the school of Avignon, but
were later thought to be Spanish. Laclotte, however, rightfully doubted these
suggestions, instead associating the predella with the art of late Quattrocento and early
Cinquecento Piedmont, particularly that of Giovanni Martino Spanzotti. Spanzotti
was a painter and sculptor of Lombard origin who is documented working in Turin
in the early 16th century. His artistic infuences included Francesco del Cossa, Piero
della Francesca, and Bramantino, and he was instrumental in bringing these artists’
Renaissance style to northern Italy which, at the time, was dominated by a traditional,
French Gothic aesthetic. Spanzotti is known to have collaborated with Defendente
Ferrari, and his work had a major infuence on the development of Piemontese
painting in the second half of the 15th century.
We are grateful to Professor Frédéric Elsig for pointing out the present panels’
association with the series published by Laclotte. Professor Elsig has also endorsed
the attribution to Giovanni Martino Spanzotti, suggesting a dating in the artist’s early
period, c. 1475.

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 PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

147
ANTOINE DE LONHY (THE MASTER OF
THE TRINITY OF TURIN)
(active c. 1470-1490)

Saint Augustine Enthroned

oil, gold and pastiglia on panel
35 x 22æ in. (88.9 x 57.7 cm.)

$50,000-80,000
£34,000-53,000
€38,000-60,000

PROVENANCE:
Podio collection, Bologna.
Anonymous sale; Christie’s, New York, 29 May
2001, lot 220, as Spanish School, c. 1500, where
T his arresting image, probably originally the central component of an imposing
altarpiece, shows the Church Father Saint Augustine, an early Christian theologian
whose writings formed the foundation of the Augustinian order. Augustine appears
purchased by the present owner. in the religious vestments which accord with his title as Bishop of Hippo, including
an elegant brocaded cope decorated with images of saints in fctive niches, as well as
LITERATURE:
a crozier and mitre, both of which are embellished with fne pastiglia ornamentation.
M. Tamassia, Collezioni d’arte tra Ottocento e
Novecento: Jacquier fotograf a Firenze, 1870-1935, Seated on a fctive marble throne surmounted by playful putti, Augustine raises his
Naples, 1995, no. 51162, as ‘Provençal or Niçoise hand to bless the viewer. His intently focused, stern gaze and curly, grayed beard
school, second half of the 15th century’. enhance his aura of solemnity and wisdom, while the black monastic robes visible
G. Romano, ed., Primitivi Piemontesi nei musei
beneath his ornate mantle remind the viewer of his humility and asceticism.
di Torino, Turin, 1996, pp. 200-201.
Antoine de Lonhy has recently been identifed as the artist formerly called the
Master of the Trinity of Turin (sometimes known as the Saluces Master or the Master
of Saint Anne of Turin), an anonymous, peripatetic painter named for a Trinity in
the Museo Civico de Arte Antica in Turin. Several other panels, as well as frescoes,
miniatures and designs for stained glass, had been associated with this monumental
work before the artist’s real identity was discovered by Giovanni Romano and
François Avril. Recently uncovered documents show that De Lonhy probably trained
in Burgundy in the 1440s, where he was exposed to the models of Jan van Eyck and
Rogier van der Weyden, and was employed by some of the most important patrons
of the time, including Nicolas Rolin (1376-1462), chancellor to Philip III (called
Philip the Good), Duke of Burgundy, and Jean Germain, bishop of Chalon-sur-Saône
from 1436-1461. In the early part of his career, De Lonhy also worked in Toulouse
and Barcelona, and eventually passed through Lyons and Avignon before settling in
Savoy, near the present-day border with Italy, where he illuminated a manuscript for
the widow of the Duke of Savoy, Yolande de France (untraced).
The present work was frst illustrated in the publication of the collection of images
taken by the Florentine photographers Jacquier, when it was associated with the
school of Provence or Nice (loc. cit.). It was frst published in 1995 as an autograph
work by Antoine de Lonhy by Giovanni Romano (loc. cit.), who was instrumental in
reconstructing the artist’s oeuvre. We are grateful to Till-Holger Borchert, who has
confrmed the attribution of the panel based on frsthand inspection, and remarked
that it is ‘without doubt on the top row of authentic panels by [the] master’ (private
communication, 28 August 2013).

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ATTRIBUTED TO THE MASTER OF CABASSERS
(Cabassers, f. 1410-1415)

The Dormition of the Virgin

inscribed ‘IDCIRCO.ODOMINE.MARIAM.DC.PRAESENTI.SAECULO.TRANTULISTI.UT. PRO.
PTS.NS’ (on the frame)
tempera and gold on panel, shaped top, in an engaged frame
67º x 36¡ in. (170.8 x 92.4 cm.)

$200,000-300,000
£140,000-200,000
€150,000-220,000

A ttributed to the anonymous 15th-century Catalonian painter known as the

Master of Cabassers, so-named for an altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin Mary
in the parish church of Cabassers (a municipality in the province of Tarragona), this
remarkable Dormition of the Virgin is an iconographically rich depiction of one of the
most widely depicted themes in Christian art. Although the Dormition of the Virgin
appears in Christian accounts as early as the 6th century, the present work closely
follows the event as described in Jacopo de Voraigne’s famous 13th-century Golden
Legend, which begins, “One day when the Virgin’s longing for her Son burned
fervently in her heart, and her ardent spirit was a troubled and poured forth a torrent
of tears, and for a space she bore not serenely the lost comforts of her departed Son,
an angel stood by her in the midst of a great light, and greeted her with the reverence
as the mother of his Lord.” (The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voraigne, ed. G. Ryan
and H. Ripperger, New York, 1969, p. 449). According to the text, the messenger
from heaven—represented here by three winged angels in the background—appeared
to Mary to inform her that her time on Earth had come to an end and presented her
with the ‘Palm of Paradise’, to be borne before her bier. Here, it is held by John the
Evangelist, the beardless saint shown at right, who was the frst summoned to be at
the Virgin’s side. The Dormition represents the exact moment of Mary’s passing: Peter,
often shown at the head of the bier, leans over the Virgin to remove the candle she
is holding, commonly placed in the hands of a dying person according to medieval
Christian practice. Mary’s soul—just departed from her body— is represented by the
diminutive fgure in white at center, cradled in the arms of Christ, who receives his
mother into the heavenly realm. The candles at left and right and the tray of coals
beneath the Virgin’s bed, which kept her warm in her last hours, place the biblical
scene in a funerary chamber typical of private European homes from the Middle Ages
to the present day, commonly referred to as a camera ardente or, literally, ‘burning
room’.
The present panel could originally have been a central component of a monumental
altarpiece. However, no markings at the sides of the panel remain to suggest how it
could have been connected to other elements of a larger complex, and the subject,
along with the presence of two small praying fgures in sepulchers at the upper
corners, suggest that it might well have been conceived as an independent entity,
intended for an altar in a funerary chapel.

112
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 149
THE MASTER OF THE LILLE ADORATION
(active Antwerp c. 1523/35)

Saint Jerome
oil on panel
26Ω x 19 in. (67.4 x 48.2 cm.)

$30,000-50,000
£20,000-33,000
€23,000-37,000

PROVENANCE:
Cloister of Maria of the Angels, Bleijerheide
(Kerkrade).
Private collection, Rhineland.
I n a 1995 article, Ellen Konowitz identifed a core group of fve paintings formerly
attributed to the Antwerp glass-painting designer and graphic artist Dirk Vellert
(c. 1480/85-1547), to serve as the foundation for building a corpus for a distinct
artistic personality working in Antwerp in the late-15th century (op. cit., pp. 177-
LITERATURE: 190). Though this group certainly shows Vellert’s infuence, the paintings have much
E. Konowitz, ‘Dirk Vellert and the Master of the Lille
more in common with Antwerp Mannerist painters. As the artist’s many idiosyncratic
Adoration: Some Antwerp Mannerist Paintings
Reconsidered’, Oud Holland, CIX, no. 4, tendencies—such as a preference for quivering contour lines, a bright color palette
p. 190, note 26. and muscular fgure types—are most recognizable in a beautiful panel of the Adoration
of the Shepherds in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille, Konowitz named him the Master
of the Lille Adoration.
In the present painting, Saint Jerome appears in his study with an open book
and spectacles on the desk before him, items alluding to Jerome’s erudition and
his translation of the Bible into Latin. The unusual combination of three separate
iconographical traditions—Saint Jerome in penance, Saint Jerome as a scholar within
his study, and Saint Jerome as a witness to a divine vision—may have originated with
Joos van Cleve, an artist who strongly infuenced the Master of the Lille Adoration.
The earliest instance of such blended iconography in Joos’s oeuvre is the Saint
Jerome that was formerly in the Bononi Cereda collection, Milan (present location
unknown), which was likely the point of departure for the present painting (see J.O.
Hand, Joos van Cleve, New Haven and London, 2004, pp. 94-95, 162, no. 79, fg. 99;
see also E. Konowitz, op. cit., p. 182). As in Joos’s picture, a muscular saint of a type
inspired by Jan Gossart is represented wearing a sleeveless shirt with his chest exposed.
He holds a rock in his right hand, a reference when in the wilderness he repeatedly
struck himself to overcome visions of the secular pleasures of Rome. On the shelf
behind is a stoppered carafe, often interpreted as a symbol of the Virgin Mary’s purity.
The clouds at upper left link the painting to a lost pendant. As Peter van den
Brink has argued about another version of this composition, also by the Master of
the Lille Adoration (on loan to the Fogg Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge),
the present Saint Jerome originally would have been paired with a painting of the
Holy Trinity set against a background of clouds (see J.O. Hand, et al., Unfolding the
Netherlandish Diptych, exhibition catalogue, New Haven and London, 2006, p. 151,
no. 22). Van den Brink has further noted that the pairing of a Saint Jerome with
the vision of the Gnadenstuhl, or Passional Trinity, has a precedent in Andrea del
Castagno’s fresco of 1454-1455 in the church of the Santissima Annunziata, Florence.

114
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 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION

150
A FRANCO-FLEMISH ARMORIAL
MILLE-FLEURS TAPESTRY
C. 1503
Depicting the arms of Robert Chabot and Antoinette d’Illiers within a PROVENANCE:
wreath of fowers on a red and brown striped backing with initials A and Probably supplied to Robert Chabot (d. 1518) and Antoinette d’Illiers (d. 1537)
R, with a foral border, areas of reweaving shortly after their marriage in 1503.
9 ft. 2 in. (280 cm.) high, 8 ft. 7 in. (262 cm.) wide Together with an identical tapestry with Thiérard Frères, Paris, in 1935 and sold to
Auguste Lambiotte, Prémery and Biarritz on 23 April 1936 as a pair and thence
by descent.
$50,000-80,000
£34,000-53,000 EXHIBITED:
Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, Cinque siècles de Tapisseries
€38,000-60,000 d’Aubusson, November-December 1935, no. 2.
Paris, Palais national des Arts, Chefs d’oeuvre de l’Art Français, 1937, as a pair,
no. 1306.
Musée d’Arras, La tapisserie d’Aubusson et de Felletin, 1963, as a pair, no. 3.

LITERATURE:
R.A. Weigert, ‘Les ateliers de la Marche, Aubusson et Felletin’, La Tapisserie, Paris,
1942, p. 75-84.

T his rare tapestry was woven as part of a suite of tapestries

of identical design. One panel remains at the château de
Talcy, an early 16th century château in the Loir-et-Cher, while
of Art, New York, 1993, pp. 174-189, no. 8). Several armorial
tapestries with striped grounds were recorded by the 18th
century art historian François Roger de Gaignières (d. 1715)
the tapestry panel paired with the current lot in the frst half in his archive of drawings of tapestries (at the Bibliothèque
20th century was sold anonymously, François de Ricqlès, Paris, Nationale, Paris), including that of René II, duc de Lorraine,
17 June 1997, lot 182. and his wife Philippine von Geldern, which must pre-date
The Chabot family was a prominent 15th and 16th century 1507, and Jacques III d’Estouteville and his wife Jeanne, who
family established in several regions of France as comtes de were married in 1509. Other, slightly later examples include
Jarnac, barons de Retz, vicomtes de Tramecourt and seigneurs armorial tapestries for Henry VIII and Antoine de Bourbon,
of regions such as Poitou, but most notably as the ducs de King of Navarre.
Rohan and princes de Léon. Robert Chabot (c. 1452-1517) The cyphers represent an important design feature that
was the 5th child of Renaud Chabot (c. 1410-1474), seigneur appears in Medieval tapestries either as the main focus or to
of Aspremont and of Jarnac, and his second wife Isabeau de identify the patron of the work. Several armorial tapestries in
Rochechouart (d. 1477). Notably, Renaud Chabot is recorded Gaignières’ drawings employ this design, but it is also used less
as having purchased the château de Jarnac from Jean d’Orléans centrally in tapestries such as in the magnifcent late 15th/early
to enable him to pay ransom for his brother Charles duc 16th century unicorn tapestry set surviving at the Metropolitan
d’Orléans, who was captured at the battle of Azincourt in Museum of Art, New York (A.S. Cavallo, op. cit., pp. 297-327,
1415 and kept captive until 1444. In 1503, Robert Chabot, no. 20), where the cypher ‘AE’ is featured on a mille-feurs
seigneur de Clervaux and Baussay, baron d’Aspremont, married ground.
Antoinette d’Illiers, daughter of Jean, seigneur d’Illiers and The mille-feurs ground found in the borders of the offered
Marguerite de Chourses, which is almost certainly when this lot is a design that evolved c. 1450-1460, with one of the
suite of tapestries was commissioned. frst fully developed surviving examples being the armorial
The striped background of this tapestry overlayed with tapestry of Philip the Good of Burgundy, woven in Brussels
repeating monograms is a rare survival of early armorial tapestry in c. 1466, now in the Historisches Museum, Bern (A. Rapp-
design. A miniature painting of the trial of Jean, Duke of Buri and M. Stucky-Schürer, Burgundische Tapisserien, Munich,
Alençon, from 1458 shows the court proceedings set against 2001, pp. 116-117, no. 104). This genre of tapestry, however,
a background of red, white and green striped tapestries with remained popular until the mid-16th century. The repeating
the armorial devices of Charles VII, and is one of the earliest pattern of individual and randomly combined cartoon panels
representations of this simulated fabric-hung background of foral sprays is closely related to mille-feurs tapestries woven
(T. Campbell, ed., Tapestry in the Renaissance, ‘exhibtion in Bruges (see G. Delmarcel and E. Duverger, Bruges et la
catalogue’, New Haven, 2002, p. 21). Surviving tapestries Tapisserie, ‘exhibition catalogue’, Bruges, 1987). However,
with this design include a suite with repeating stripes of the similar designs were also woven in the Marche workshops in
same colors, depicting fgures in a rose garden from c. 1450- Felletin and Aubusson, and the offered tapestry was historically
1460, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York attributed to that region (see abovementioned exhibition
(A.S. Cavallo, Medieval Tapestries in The Metropolitan Museum catalogues).
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 PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF ERIC MARTIN WUNSCH

151
CIRCLE OF HANS HOLBEIN II
(Augsburg 1497/8-1543 London)

Portrait of a gentleman, half-length

dated ‘ANNO.1537’ (upper left) and inscribed ‘ZTATIS.SVZ.61’ (upper right)
oil on panel
13æ x 10¡ in. (34.9 x 26.4 cm.)

$200,000-400,000
£140,000-270,000
€150,000-300,000

PROVENANCE:
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London, 11 December
1985, lot 34, as ‘The Master of the 1540s’.
A ccording to the inscription, this portrait was painted in 1537, when the sitter was
61 years old. Though his identity remains a mystery, his frontal pose lends him
an air of authority and self-confdence. His face, though wizened, retains a youthful
vitality consistent with a man in his early sixties. He wears a black hat with a gold
hat badge, over a dark cap, beneath which wisps of gray hair are visible. His affuence
is evident from his clothing, which includes a brown patterned jacket with a wide,
fur collar and a doublet with reddish-orange satin sleeves. The scallop shell pendant
hanging from a thin cord around his neck identifes him as a member of the chivalric
Order of Santiago, further indicating that he was a man of considerable status. His
importance is also suggested by the existence of another version of this portrait, which
was sold at Sotheby’s, London, 6 July 2000, lot 13 (as the Master of the 1540s).
Until recently, the present Portrait of a gentleman was attributed to the Master of
the 1540s, an anonymous painter active in Antwerp following the death of Joos van
Cleve, to whom Max Friedländer ascribed around thirty portraits of mostly merchant-
class men and women (see M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, XIII, Antonis
Mor and his Contemporaries, trans. H. Norden, Leiden and Brussels, 1975, p. 46-50).
This former attribution seems dubious, however, as the quality of the present portrait
is far superior to any of the best paintings ascribed to the Master of the 1540s. Details
such as the painstakingly-rendered silver strands of the beard and the subtle coloring
of the sitter’s blue eyes—speckled with touches of hazel, which refect the unseen
light-source—and the masterful treatment of the drapery folds in the sitter’s sleeves,
have no counterparts within the Master of the 1540s oeuvre.
Moreover, the general character of our picture is German, rather than Netherlandish.
In its style and composition, the Portrait of a gentleman recalls several portraits that Hans
Holbein the Younger painted of members of the Hanseatic League of merchants in
London in the early 1530s, during his second visit to England. Indeed, Holbein’s
portraits of Hermann Hillebrandt von Wedigh (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin-Preussischer
Kulturbesitz, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, inv. 4234) and Cyriacus Kale (Herzog Anton-
Ulrich-Museum, Brunswick), both dated 1533, have much in common with the
present painting. In all three, the sitters are frontally posed against blue backgrounds
while holding gloves, their heads fanked by inscriptions. Agreeing with the notion
that the present portrait was produced in Augsburg in the vicinity of Holbein, Till-
Holger Borchert has also pointed out similarities to the work of the Augsburg painter
Ulrich Apt the Elder (c. 1460-1532). Though Apt was no longer living by the time
the present portrait was painted, Borchert suggests that works such as Apt’s Portrait
of a man (formerly attributed to the Master of the Hutz Portrait; Kunsthistorisches
Museum, Vienna, inv. 5624), is comparable in terms of posture and type, raising the
possibility that this portrait was created in Augsburg (personal communication, 27
October 2013).

118
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 PROPERTY OF THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART, SOLD TO BENEFIT THE ACQUISITIONS FUND

152 PROVENANCE:
with Mori, Paris.
BARTHOLOMÄUS BRUYN II Rt. Hon. Cornelia, Countess of Craven, Coombe Abbey, Coventry.
(Cologne c. 1530-1607/10) Edward Drummond Libbey, by whom gifted in 1926 to the Toledo Museum of
Art.
Father and Sons; and Mother and Daughters
EXHIBITED:
oil on panel Toledo Museum of Art, Portraits and Portraiture throughout the Ages, 3-31
22Ω x 17¬ in. (57.2 x 44.2 cm.); 22Ω x 17æ in. (57.2 x 45.2 cm.) October 1937, nos. 9 and 10.
Art Gallery of Toronto, and Toledo Museum of Art, Two Cities Collect, January
a pair (2) and April 1948, no. 4 (the frst only).
$250,000-350,000
LITERATURE:
£170,000-230,000 C. Kuhn, A Catalogue of German paintings of the middle ages and Renaissance in
American collections, Cambridge, 1936, p. 29, nos. 46, 47, pl. X.
€190,000-260,000 B.M. Godwin, Catalogue of European Paintings, Toledo, 1939, pp. 50-53.
Children in Art: paintings, sculpture, and prints from the museum’s collection,
Toledo, 1948, nos. 7 and 8.
The Toledo Museum of Art: European Paintings, Toledo, 1976, p. 388.

120
H eir to the active Cologne workshop of his father,
Bartholomäus Bruyn I, Bartholomäus Bruyn II is best
known for his portraits of the citizens of Cologne. Though
instead portrays a large family yet to be identifed. The
enamel-like texture of the surfaces, precise rendering of details,
subdued color harmonies, and strong modeling are typical
he formally inherited his father’s workshop in 1555, the of Bartholomäus Bruyn II’s portraits. Imbued with familial
younger Bruyn had been active in the family business from warmth, the images show the children holding each other’s
at least 1547, when he is documented as working with his hands, embraced protectively by their proud father and mother.
father on 57 scenes from the New Testament for the cloisters At the right edge of each painting, depicted in somewhat
of Cologne’s Karmelitenkloster (only one survives; Reinisches grayish tones and shown slightly separated from the children
Landesmuseum, Bonn). The artist’s only signed painting, a in the foreground, are a young boy and a young girl, possibly
diptych for Abbot Peter Ulner showing Christ Carrying the Cross siblings who had perished by the time the portraits were
and a Vanitas, is dated 1560 and is preserved in the Reinisches painted, but whose memories the surviving members of the
Landesmuseum, Bonn. family wished to preserve.
This remarkable pair of group portraits, once thought to We are grateful to Dr. Kurt Löcher for confrming the
depict a schoolmaster and schoolmistress and their pupils, attribution on the basis of photographs.

121
 PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN COLLECTION

153
ATTRIBUTED TO BERNARD VAN ORLEY
(Brussels c. 1488-1541)

The Virgin with the Christ Child standing on a pillow

with inscriptions ‘IHS’ (upper left) and ‘MARIA’ (upper right, surmounted by a crown)
oil on panel
14 x 10√ in. (35.6 x 27.8 cm.)

$500,000-800,000
£340,000-530,000
€380,000-600,000
S hortly before 1996, this exquisite and fnely preserved Virgin and Child was
associated by Edwin Buijsen of the RKD in the Hague with a composition by
Bernard van Orley, one of the most important painters and tapestry designers active in
Brussels and Antwerp in the frst half of the 16th century. Buijsen tentatively attributed
the present painting to the master himself on the basis of comparison with a work
PROVENANCE:
cited by Friedländer in the Fürstliche Fürstenbergische Sammlungen, Donaueschingen
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, New York, 16 May
1996, lot 2, as attributed to Joos van Cleve, where (Early Netherlandish Painting, VIII, Joan Gossart and Bernart van Orley, trans. H. Norden,
acquired by the present owner. New York, 1972, pl. 118, no. 137a). The present Virgin and Child was exhibited at
the Minneapolis Institute of Arts from 1997 to 2013 with a full attribution to Van
EXHIBITED:
Orley. Van Orley’s authorship has recently been confrmed by Lars Hendrikman,
Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, on loan
1997-2013, as Bernard van Orley.
who, on the basis of photographs, notes that it is of exceptional quality and exhibits
many of the hallmarks of the artist’s devotional works from the early 1520s. The
Virgin’s slender hands and the Christ child’s chubby face and wispy hair are typical of
the artist; similar features may be found in the female donors in the Haneton Triptych
as well as in some of the fgures on the wings of the Vertue de patience triptych (both
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels). The painting is closest to Van Orley’s
Virgin and Child sold at Sotheby’s New York, 25 January 2001, lot 38. The same
emotionally-charged interaction between mother and child can be observed in both
works, as can such details as Christ’s slightly upturned nose and the fgures’ rosy, full-
lipped mouths. There are also several parallels with the Louvre Holy Family (signed
and dated 1521), including the position of the Christ Child’s right arm and hand,
which rest on the transparent veil beneath his mother’s neck. Van Orley’s so-called
Romanist style fnds expression in the infant’s robust physique and contrapposto stance,
which can be related in particular to Michelangelo’s Bruges Madonna of 1501-1504
(Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk, Bruges), which Van Orley would have known.
Half-length representations of the Virgin tenderly touching her cheek to the Christ
Child derive from Byzantine icons of the Eleousa (“Tenderness”) type, as interpreted
by Italian Duecento and Trecento artists. Believed to have been based on a portrait
painted by Saint Luke, the celebrated Italo-Byzantine panel known as the Cambrai
Madonna had a strong impact on the evolution of this compositional genre in the
Netherlands. In 1440, Canon Fursy de Bruille brought the painting from Rome
to Cambrai, where it was housed in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Grâce and
extensively copied (see E. Panofsky, Early Netherlandish Painting, its origins and character,
Cambridge, 1953, I, p. 297). Rogier van der Weyden’s interpretation of the Cambrai
Madonna, thought to be recorded in a drawing in the Staätliche Kunstsammlungen,
Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden, inspired a group of half-length images of the Virgin
holding a standing Christ Child, with which the present painting is clearly associated
(see D. De Vos, Rogier van der Weyden: The Complete Works, trans. T. Alkins, New
York, 1999, pp. 358-9, no. B5). Executed with remarkable delicacy, details such as
the Virgin’s pearls or the golden highlights of her cascading hair make Van Orley’s
painting among his fnest and most poignant examples in this genre.
We are grateful to Lars Hendrikman for his assistance in cataloguing this painting.
122
123
 154
AN ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
WALNUT CABINET
16TH CENTURY, WITH SOME
19TH CENTURY REPLACEMENTS
Comprising two sections, each with two cabinet doors carved with complementary perspectival
views of an arcade, the sides of both portions similary carved, the center with two pull-out drawers
separated by animal heads, on spreading feet, inscribed numerous times in white and yellow 36770
and once in crossed-out white chalk 76770, the drawers similarly labeled
66æ in. (179.5 cm.) high, 62Ω in. (159 cm.) wide, 23Ω in. (59.5 cm.) deep

$20,000-30,000
£14,000-20,000
€15,000-22,000

PROVENANCE:
(Possibly) with Blumka, New York.
Richard and Erna Flagg, Milwaukee and Sutton Place, New York.

T his cabinet, with its sophisticated and unusual panels depicting archways,
immediately evokes the Renaissance fascination with perspective and its
exploration in architecture and painting. For the decorative arts, much of this trompe
l’oeil work was done using marquetry — with one of the most spectacular examples
being the Gubbio studiolo now installed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York. However, the carving of single, solid panels, such as the panels in the present
cabinet, was far more diffcult to achieve than in marquetry. Therefore the present
cabinet is both an extremely unusual and rare survival. There is one cabinet that is
closely related, with similar perspectival panels, in the Fondazione Carlo Marchi,
Florence (R. Ferrazza, Palazzo Davanzati e le collezioni di Elia Volpi, Florence,
1994, p. 64).
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125
 THE MAX STERN
ART RESTITUTION PROJECT

D r. Max Stern (1904-1987), a world renowned art collector and dealer, was born
in München-Gladbach, Germany. His father, Julius, was a prominent gallery
owner in Düsseldorf, and after earning his doctorate in art history at the University
of Bonn, Max entered the family business, taking over the gallery after his father’s
death in 1934. Just before World War II, Stern was forced to fee the Nazi regime
and eventually relocated to Canada. He had lost the contents of his gallery and private
collection of valued artworks through forced sale and confscation. Once in Canada,
he and his wife, Iris, became the proprietors of the Dominion Gallery in Montreal,
which became a focal point for promoting the work of living Canadian and European
artists. Max Stern is remembered for many other contributions to the art world as
well, having generously donated hundreds of works and major funds to Canadian,
American and Israeli museums and universities.
After his death in 1987, the executors of his Estate established The Max Stern Art
Restitution Project and received unwavering support from his university benefciaries—
the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, McGill University, and Concordia University in
Montreal. The project’s goals are to recover works taken from the late Jewish collector
and dealer and to motivate governments, museums, collectors and the art trade to
resolve injustices caused by Nazi cultural policies.
Concordia University has led the restitution project, working closely with the
Holocaust Claims Processing Offce in New York, as well as with the Art Loss
Register in London, and the Lost Art Internet Database in Magdeburg. Since its
launching, the project has identifed 400 artworks lost by Stern, including paintings by
Winterhalter, Brueghel and Carracci. Eleven paintings have been restituted to date.
Christie’s is honored to be offering the beautiful Northern Renaissance Virgin
and Child, which was restituted to the Estate in March 2013, from the Staatsgalerie
Stuttgart—the frst German museum to hand back an artwork in the 10-year history
of the Stern Project. Happily, the recovery of the painting also coincides with the
100th anniversary of the founding of the Galerie Stern in Düsseldorf. The offcial
return of this painting was part of a larger event in Berlin in which the Chair of the
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) passed to Canada. The IHRA
is an intergovernmental organization that positions the support of political and social
leaders behind the need for Holocaust education, remembrance, and research.

126
(fg. 1) Max Stern at the Dominion Gallery in 1985, National Gallery of Canada, Library and Archives, Fonds Max Stern, Yousef Karsh (1908-2002).

127
 PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF MAX STERN

155
THE MASTER OF THE STERN VIRGIN AND CHILD
(active c. 1470-1480)

The Virgin and Child

oil on panel
13 x 9¡ in. (33 x 23.8 cm.)

$400,000-600,000
£270,000-400,000
€300,000-450,000

PROVENANCE:
Dr. Alexander Haindorf, Hamm.
Dr. Ernst Theodor Loeb, Galerie Caldenhof, Hamm-
Rhynern, Germany; sale, Lepke, Berlin, 8 June 1929,
lot 6, as the Master of Flémalle (entry by R. Verres).
with Galerie Stern, Düsseldorf, by April, 1936, as the
Master of Flémalle.
Dr. -Ing.e.h. Heinrich Scheufelen, Oberlenningen,
by whom donated in 1948 to
The Württenbergische Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart,
inv. no. 2318, as Circle of the Master of Flémalle,
and later as Possibly by the Master of 1473.
Restituted to the Estate of Dr. Max Stern, 2013.

EXHIBITED:
Stuttgart, Württenbergische Staatsgalerie,
1948-2013.

LITERATURE:
E. Heye, Sammlung Dr. -Ing.e.h. Heinrich Scheufelen,
Stuttgart, 1948, p. 26, illustrated, as Circle of the
Master of Flémalle.

128
129
 (fg. 1) Rogier van der Weyden, Head of the Virgin, Musée du Louvre, Paris, © RMN-Grand Palais / (fg. 2) Martin Schongauer, The Virgin Mary and Christ on the crescent
Art Resource, NY. moon, Musée d’Unterlinden, Colmar.

A stunning object of private devotion, this moving

representation of The Virgin and Child set before a golden
background corresponds to a type popularized in 15th-century
angular fngers of the Virgin, closely recall the works of Rogier
van der Weyden. The blending of these two styles suggests that
the present panel was painted by a highly accomplished artist
Northern Europe by the Master of Flémalle and Rogier van der of a slightly later generation, who was active early in the 4th
Weyden. Depicting a solemn Virgin Mary tenderly cradling the quarter of the 15th century.
Christ Child in her arms, the painting is South Netherlandish Maryan Ainsworth has observed that the primary source
in character, yet exhibits several key traits suggesting a German for the Stern Virgin’s head was a lost composition by Rogier
origin. van der Weyden, known from a remarkably fne copy (often
One can easily see how this painting, which we here considered an autograph work) in metalpoint on paper in the
introduce as the Stern Virgin and Child, frst came to be Cabinet des Dessins, Louvre, Paris (inv. 20.664; fg. 1). The
associated with the Master of Flémalle, who is generally Virgin in the drawing similarly tilts her head to her left and
identifed as Rogier van der Weyden’s teacher, Robert Campin possesses an analogous profle and features, including a high,
of Tournai (c. 1370/5-1444). The Virgin in the Stern panel, domed forehead, almond-shaped eyes, prominent sloping
crowned by a magnifcent white headdress with twisting eyebrows, and small, plump lips. Working from photographs,
angular drapery folds, ultimately derives from the famous, near- Dr. Ainsworth has further noted that the Stern Virgin and
life-size depiction of The Virgin and Child from the altarpiece Child is closely related to an engraving by Martin Schongauer
of c. 1425-1435 in the Städelmuseum, Frankfurt, after which of The Virgin and Child crowned by two angels of c. 1470 (fg. 2).
the Master of Flémalle has been named. In particular, the Stern The distinctive motif of the Christ Child’s right arm resting
Virgin’s physiognomy, the distinctive tilt of her head, and the on the Virgin’s breast is nearly identical, and the compositions
manner in which she embraces her child with both hands recall are mirror images. She has therefore suggested that the present
the Frankfurt panel. Also reminiscent of the Master of Flémalle panel may have been based on a lost preparatory drawing
is the shimmering, textured gold in the background, which by Schongauer, thus raising the possibility that the Master
compares to a fragment from the Master of Flémalle’s altarpiece of the Stern Madonna was working in Colmar (written
of The Descent from the Cross (Städelmuseum, Frankfurt). At communication, 20 October 2013).
the same time, the overall handling of the fgures, particularly Till-Holger Borchert, who has seen the picture frsthand, has
the distinctive face of the Christ Child and the long, tapering, also noted its distinctly German character, in particular some

130
 (fig. 3) Infrared reflectogram of the present lot © Art Access & Research (UK Ltd.). (fig. 4) Martin Schongauer, An angel, half-length (possibly the Annunciate Angel),
Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin.

stylistic similarities to the workshop of Hans Pleydenwurff, another indicator that the Stern Virgin and Child was painted in
an artist who was active in Nuremberg during the third Germany rather than the Netherlands.
quarter of the 15th century, or to Friedrich Herlin from An alternative theory has been posited by Stephan
Nördlingen, both of whom were greatly infuenced by the Kemperdick, who on the basis of photographs has associated
paintings of Rogier van der Weyden. Borchert observed that our painting with The Virgin and Child with a Flower in the
the Stern Virgin and Child’s tapered hands and angular feet are Louvre, there given to a follower of Rogier van der Weyden
reminiscent of this artist, yet ultimately concluded that the (inv. R.F. 2067; see D. de Vos, op. cit., no. B18). Based on a lost
author of our panel is an as yet unidentifed painter working work by Rogier, this latter painting has at times been attributed
under the infuence of Roger van der Weyden in Germany, to an anonymous late-15th century follower of Rogier known
possibly in Franconia or the Upper-Rhine, c. 1470-1480. as the Master of the Legend of Mary Magdalene. Most striking
As Ainsworth and Borchert have noted, technical in connection with the Stern Virgin and Child is the Christ
examination of the panel supports such a theory. Infrared Child’s open-collared white garment with pyramidal drapery
refectography reveals that while the panel has been damaged folds, which is nearly identical. The infant in the Louvre
in some places, the substantial underdrawing that is preserved panel also shows the same facial features as the Stern Christ
is markedly un-Rogerian (fg. 3). Indeed, the cross-hatched Child, most notably the tightly cropped, curly golden locks
modeling in the Virgin’s cheek and by her temple, as well of hair. Although Kemperdick rejects the attribution to the
as the concentric curved lines around the eye at the nose Magdalene Master for both paintings, he suggests that they were
are very similar to Schongauer’s drawings, such the head of made either by the same artist, or artists with similar artistic
an angel in the Kupferstichkabinett SMPK, Berlin-Dahlem temperaments, working around 1480 (written communication,
(Ainsworth, written communication, 20 October 2013; fg. 15 October 2013).
4). Interestingly, dendrochonological analysis conducted by Thus, the author of this exquisite panel remains to be
Ian Tyers in August 2013 dates the panel to just after c. 1255, identifed. Clearly painted by a gifted artist working in the
placing it among the earliest he has ever studied. Reusing tradition of the great Early Netherlandish masters Rogier van
panels from earlier works of art or wooden objects was not an der Weyden and the Master of Flémalle sometime around
uncommon practice in the late 15th century. The panel itself 1470-80, this splended devotional picture provides an important
is a single oak board of north German or central Baltic origin, touchstone for further scholarly research.

131
 PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR

156
JAN PROVOST
(Bergen-Mons, Henegouwen c. 1465-1529 Bruges)

The Annunciation
oil on panel
20¡ x 15¬ in. (51.8 x 39.7 cm.)

$2,000,000-4,000,000
£1,400,000-2,700,000
€1,500,000-3,000,000

PROVENANCE:
with Paul Cassirer, Berlin.
Baron Thüngen, Rossbach Castle, Franconia.
Sir B.S. Barlow, United Kingdom.
with Dickinson, London and New York, from whom
acquired by the present owner.

EXHIBITED:
Manchester, Whitworth Art Gallery, November
1947.
Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum.
Newcastle, Laing Art Gallery, 1995-2006.
Philadephia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26 April
2007-18 January 2009.

LITERATURE:
Max J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, IXb,
Joos van Cleve, Jan Provost, Joachim Patenier, trans.
H. Norden from Die Altniederländische Malerei,
[Berlin, 1934], New York, 1973, p. 113, no. 141,
pl. 164.

(fg. 1) Albrecht Dürer, Portrait of a man, The British

Museum, London, © The Trustees of the British Museum
/ Art Resource, NY.

132
133
 I n exceptionally fne condition, this tender representation
of the Annunciation is a rare, early painting by the South
Netherlandish master, Jan Provost. Considered by Max J.
Born in Mons, Jan Provost most likely received his initial
training from his father, Jan Provost the Elder, and likely
continued his training in the workshop of Simon Marmion in
Friedländer one of the most important exponents of the Valenciennes. Celebrated as the “prince of illumination” by
Renaissance as it was interpreted in the Low Countries, Provost his contemporaries, Marmion was one of the most important
was an extraordinarily inventive artist, never repeating his manuscript illuminators of his day. Upon Marmion’s death,
compositions and often striving for the esoteric and enigmatic Provost married his widow, Johanna de Quarube. In 1493,
in his paintings (M.J. Friedländer, op. cit.). His miniaturist Provost joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp and in
training in France is evident here in the courtly, idealized the following year became a citizen of Bruges. He served as
fgures, modeled with extraordinary delicacy, and in the president of the Bruges painters’ guild in 1519 and 1525, and
lavish attention given to minute details, such as the feathers worked on several important projects for the city throughout
of Gabriel’s multicolored wings and the exquisitely rendered his career. Most notably, Provost had the honor of directing
plants and fowers. Bruges’ decorative program for the Triumphal Entry of
Among the most popular themes of Renaissance painting, Charles V in 1520.
this Annunciation is set within a contemporary domestic Like his contemporary Gerard David, Provost may have
interior. An elegant Virgin Mary, whose porcelain-like face, operated workshops in both Bruges and Antwerp, and it was
high forehead and elongated body refect the ideal of feminine in this latter city that he may have frst met Albrecht Dürer.
beauty then prevailing in the southern Netherlands, is seated In September of 1520, the German artist recorded in his diary
before a simple wooden prayer bench. She has been interrupted that while dining in the house of his friend, the Portuguese
while reciting her devotions by a magnifcent Gabriel, gliding Factor, “I took the portrait of Master Jan Prost [Provost] of
effortlessly into the room attired in a sumptuous gold- Bruges, and he gave me 1 f.-it was done in charcoal.” In
embroidered bishop’s cope. His face framed with tussled locks, the early 20th century, Martin Conway convincingly argued
the Archangel gazes upward toward a dove, symbolizing the that a charcoal drawing on paper in the British Museum (fg.
Holy Spirit, which descends from the heavens upon three 1) should be identifed as this very portrait on the basis of the
divine rays alluding to the Trinity. Due to the presence of the sitter’s similarity to the pointing fgure in the background of
bed, the contemporary viewer would have associated this space Provost’s Death and the Miser (Groeninge Museum, Bruges),
with a marriage chamber—the thalamus virginis—in which which is almost certainly a self-portrait of the artist (M.
the Virgin Mary unites with Christ, her son and symbolic Conway, ‘Dürer Portraits, Notes’, The Burlington Magazine,
bridegroom as described in the Song of Solomon. XXX, no. 187, October 1918, pp. 142-143, 146-147). The
Delightful details abound, such as the metallic clasp of following April, Dürer traveled with Provost from Antwerp
Mary’s book, which hangs over the edge of her prayer bench, to Bruges. The German artist writes: “When I reached Bruges
or the mille feurs tapestry in the lower foreground and matching Jan Prost took me in to lodge in his house, and prepared the
tasseled cushions at the far end of the room. The highly unusual same night a costly meal and bade much company to meet
placement of such a costly hanging on the foor beneath the me. So early on Tuesday we went away, but before that I
Virgin emphasizes her exalted status and also reveals Provost’s drew with the metal-point the portrait of Jan Prost, and gave
original approach to his subject matter—it is an astounding his wife 10 st. at parting” (ibid.). As Dürer’s remarks reveal,
invention that apparently has no precedent. At the same time, Provost was truly at the center of the artistic community
the rich foliage decorating these textiles echoes the fowering in Renaissance Bruges, and it is intriguing to consider the
plants visible beyond the portico on the left. In this way, impact that Dürer and Provost had on one another through
man’s artistic endeavors to honor God are contrasted with the this friendship.
beauty of the natural world—God’s own art. The wall that At the turn of the century, Provost likely travelled to
rises behind Gabriel’s resplendent wings signals that the house Jerusalem, possibly via Italy. The present painting’s porphyry
is set within an enclosed garden, the sacred precinct dedicated column, with its boldly-carved composite capital, may
to the Virgin known as the hortus conclusis and symbolic of her correspond to similar architectural elements the artist would
chastity. At the far end of the room stands a blue and white have observed on the peninsula during this trip. Provost later
maiolica pitcher, a luxurious item from Italy of a type the artist served as governor of the Fraternity of Jerusalem Pilgrims,
would have encountered at this time in Bruges, one of Europe’s and documentary evidence suggests that he may have been a
most important international trade centers. It contains a single Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
stem of lilies with two white fowers and irises, symbols of the An outstanding example of Jan Provost’s early devotional
Virgin’s purity and her suffering through the sacrifce of Christ, paintings, this The Annunciation had by the 20th century
respectively. entered the distinguished collection of B.S. Barlow, who
owned several great early Netherlandish pictures.

134
135
 THE ROTHSCHILD PRAYERBOOK

136
137
 (actual size)
Please note that other images have been enlarged or reduced for illustration purposes
138
139
140
157
THE ROTHSCHILD PRAYERBOOK, a Book of Hours, use of Rome, in Latin, illuminated manuscript
on vellum
[Ghent or Bruges, c.1505-1510]

228 x 160mm. 252 leaves, each devotion opens with a fve- or six-line illuminated initial with staves of acanthus
against a coloured ground, twelve full-page calendar borders with camaXeu d’or frames with roundels
illustrating major feasts, zodiac signs and full-colour miniatures of occupations of the month, five small
miniatures with accompanying full-page borders, sixty-seven full-page arch-topped miniatures with
surrounding borders and complementary borders on the facing pages, two further text-pages with full borders,
all the borders of richly varied trompe l’oeil type, some with sprays of acanthus and strewn fowers and including
insects and vignettes, some with camaXeu d’or architectural surrounds with sculptural fgures or reliefs, others with
jewels and enamels against coloured grounds, individual borders replicate cloth of gold, peacock feathers, and on
some pages the border space contains narratives to augment or complement the subject of the miniature. (Lacking
four leaves, three with miniatures and one with a full-page border, slight pigment losses from the backgrounds
of two miniatures, ff.120v and 124v, small smudge on the edge of a border on ff.1v, 2, 5v and 125, otherwise in
immaculate condition.) Red velvet (renewed) with mid-16th-century silver-gilt cast and chased centrepieces with
the Wittelsbach arms, cornerpieces, clasps and catches, leaf edges gilt and gauffered to a diaper pattern.

an acknowledged masterpiece of renaissance manuscript illumination. the lavish and extensive

illustration of the rothschild prayerbook includes miniatures of unsurpassed beauty and refined
execution by gerard horenbout, simon bening and his father, alexander bening (also known as the
master of the older prayerbook of maximilian i); these were the most renowned and sought-after
illuminators of their day. the exquisite miniature with the virgin and child on a crescent moon, is
accepted as one of a select group of illuminations by the painter gerard david.

provenance:
1. This is an extraordinarily splendid and undoubtedly costly production yet, like related manuscripts, it
contains nothing to positively identify its intended original owner: neither arms, emblems nor portrait. One
component of the Rothschild Prayerbook that might refect the wishes of a commissioning patron, are the
Suffrages to Sts Vincent, Benedict, Anthony of Padua and two prayers to the Virgin (ff.239-246v); these appear
to be modifcations to the manuscript as originally written and planned. They are written by a different scribe
from the preceding Suffrages and the Athanasian Creed that follows them and follow a layout that makes no
allowance for integral miniatures, yet the miniatures that are supplied on single leaves are by the same artists
as the fnest in the earlier part of the manuscript. In one of them (f.238v), the stained glass windows behind
St Vincent are decorated with coats of arms, including one with a displayed eagle and a shield of gules with a
chevron and three small charges or.

2. ?The house of Wittelsbach: the silver-gilt centrepieces of the binding show the lion rampant of the Palatinate
and the diaper of Bavaria. Nothing supports Trenkler’s suggestion in the commentary to the 1979 facsimile
edition that the arms are those of Herzog Ernst von Wittelsbach and that the manuscript had a later provenance
in the Palatine library. The clasps, corner- and centrepieces have been attributed to the workshop or circle of the
Nuremberg goldsmith Wenzel Jamnitzer (d.1585). Several of the depicted half-length saints are shown holding
books with page-edges gauffered to the same diapered pattern as survives on the present manuscript, indicating that
it was not trimmed when rebound. The binding shown in two of the miniatures is red velvet with gilt cornerpieces
and clasps: it may be that this was the original appearance of the book, replicated for a mid-16th-century owner or
that it was in the 19th-century that this metalwork joined the manuscript.

3. baron anselm von rothschild (1803-1874), who laid the foundation for the Austrian Rothschilds’
collections, showing a particular enthusiasm for Netherlandish painting: his purchases included works by Frans
Hals, Jan Wynants, David Teniers II and Isack van Ostade. De Winter (see Bibliography) drew attention to
J.H. Middleton’s observation in Illuminated Manuscripts in Classical and Medieval Times (Cambridge 1892) that
‘There are several fne manuscripts with miniatures by [Gerard David’s] hand [...]

141
142
Among these are two Books of Hours in the collection of the late Baron Anselm Rothschild of Vienna’. The two
manuscripts cited by Middleton and attributed to Gerard David are likely to have been the Rothschild Prayerbook,
which was no 597 in Schestag’s 1872 catalogue of Anselm’s art collection, and the London Hours (Add. Ms
35313) which was no 599. No 595 in the catalogue was the Bening Prayerbook for Cardinal Albrecht von
Brandenburg (J. Paul Getty Museum, Ludwig IX 19) which was purchased in 1868. It is likely that the Rothschild
Prayerbook was acquired shortly after this date.

4. baron nathaniel von rothschild (1836-1905), son of Anselm. The Prayerbook was no 452, listed as in the
Galerie of the palace at Theresianumgasse, in the February 1906 inventory of his estate. It was valued at 150,000
Kronen while no 453, the Brandenburg Prayerbook was valued at 80,000 Kronen.

5. baron alphonse von rothschild (1878-1942): he inherited Nathaniel’s palace and, presumably, the
manuscript along with it. It appeared in two subsequent inventories of the palace and these inventory numbers are
recorded on a label at the upper corner of the lower cover (927) and in pencil (AR3390) on the front fyleaf. The
manuscript remained in the palace until 1938 when it was appropriated by the Nazis.

6. Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Codex Vindobonensis Series Nova 2844 (restituted to the
Rothschild family in 1999 and sold at The Collection of the Barons Nathaniel and Albert von Rothschild, Christie’s
London 8 July 1999, lot 102).

content:
Calendar ff.1v-7; Prayer to the Holy Face Salve s[an]c[t]a facies ff.9r&v; Abbreviated Hours and Masses for the Days
of the Week ff.10v-79: Trinity (f.11), Dead (f.23), Holy Spirit (f.33), All Saints (f.42), Sacrament (f.51 lacking
opening), Holy Cross (f.60), Blessed Virgin (f.70); Gospel Extracts ff.79v-83: John (f.79v), Luke (f.80v), Matthew
(f.81v), Mark (f.83); Offce of the Virgin ff. 84v-140v: matins (f.85), lauds (f.100), prime (f.109), terce (f.113), sext
(f.117), none (f.121), vespers (f.125), compline (f.131); Propers for the Offce of the Virgin ff.135-140v; Prayers
to the Virgin Obsecro te and O Intemerata ff.142-146v; Seven Penitential Psalms and Litany ff.148-163v; Offce of
the Dead ff.165-196v; Seven Joys of the Virgin ff.198-199; Prayer to the name of Jesus ff.200-201; Indulgenced
prayers of Gregory the Great beginning O Domine ih[es]u xp[rist]e adoro te in cruce ff.202-203; Suffrages ff.204-243:
to a Guardian Angel (f.204), Archangel Michael (f.205), John the Baptist (f.206), John the Evangelist (f.207), St
Peter (f.208), St Paul (f.209), St James (f.210), St Andrew (f.211), St Thomas (f.212), St Matthew (f.213), St Philip
(f.214), St Bartholomew (f.215), St Cornelius (f.216), St Mark (f.217), St Barnabas (f.218), St Stephen (f.219),
St Lawrence (f.220), St George (f.221), St Jerome (f.222), St Anthony Abbot (f.223), St Martin of Tours (f.224),
St Hubert (f.225), St Francis (f.226), St Anne with the Virgin and Child (f.227), Mary Magdalene (f.228), St
Catherine (f.229), St Barbara (f.230), St Clara (f.231), St Margaret (f.232), St Elisabeth (f.233), St Helena (f.234),
Susanna (f.235), St Apollonia (f.236), All Saints (f.237), St Vincent (f.239), St Anthony of Padua (f.241), St
Benedict (f.243); Indulgenced prayer to the Virgin opening Ave sanctissima maria mater dei regina celi f.244; Hymn of
St Bernard opening Ave maris stella dei mater alma ff.246r&v; Athanasian creed ff.247-249v.

143
144
illumination:
The Rothschild Prayerbook is one of the group of spectacular
manuscrits-de-luxe produced around 1490 to 1520 for an international
clientele and members of the Habsburg court in the Netherlands. Vast
undertakings, they achieved completion — unlike so many earlier
ambitious manuscript projects — through the effcient co-ordination
of labour and the collaboration of several artists and their workshops.
The Rothschild Prayerbook is the most beautiful and immediately
affecting of this illustrious group and is a treasury of the work of the
most gifted artists of the Flemish Renaissance.

The principal manuscripts of the group, and those most closely related
to the present manuscript, are a Book of Hours in the British Library
(Add. Ms 35313), the Spinola Hours (J. Paul Getty Museum, Ludwig
IX 18) and the Grimani Breviary (Venice, Bibl. Marciana Ms Lat. XI).
With the Rothschild Prayerbook these contain the most impressive
work of the illuminator sometimes called after the portrait in a Book
of Hours in Vienna (ÖNB cod.1897) the Master of James IV of
Scotland, who is accepted as ‘the fnest illuminator of [his] generation’
and is generally recognised as being the well documented Ghent artist
Gerard Horenbout. Horenbout became court painter to Margaret
of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands, in 1515. As well as painting
and illuminating he designed tapestries and stained glass. In the 1520s
he moved to England with his family and appears in the accounts
of the household of Henry VIII between 1528 and 1531. For the
extraordinarily opulent and extensive undertaking of the Rothschild
Prayerbook Horenbout’s principal collaborator was the illuminator
often known as the Master of the Older Prayerbook of Maximilian I,
named from a manuscript made for the emperor (Vienna, ÖNB Cod.
1907), and now widely believed to be Alexander Bening.

There is no frm evidence for the original, intended owner of any of

the above-mentioned manuscripts, although it has been suggested
that the Spinola Hours were made for Margaret of Austria herself.
It is likely that the Rothschild Prayerbook antedates Horenbout’s
entry into Margaret’s household, but the quality of his work in this
manuscript is unsurpassed, and it was no doubt on the basis of her
knowledge of his ravishing accomplishment that Margaret appointed
him to her court.

Some of Horenbout’s most remarkable creations are in the frst

sequence of devotions in the manuscript, the Hours and Masses for
the days of the week (ff.10v-79). These called for a resourceful
iconographic expansion and Horenbout’s solution was to provide
a unique series of liturgical images, showing a moment from the
celebration of the Mass for each specifc Feast. These scenes are
thoughtfully and individually devised and provide a fascinating record
of contemporary liturgical practice and setting; beyond that, they are
some of the fnest and most remarkable of all Flemish miniatures. The
description of the fabrics of the vestments, the integration of fgures
in architectural space, and the extensive and atmospheric recession are
evoked with a detailed delicacy and a bravura naturalism.

145
146
Although Horenbout was responsible for the most prominent and important
miniatures in the manuscript — including the openings of the Offces of
the Virgin and of the Dead — Alexander Bening, the Master of the Older
Prayerbook of Maximilian, played an equally vital role. Designs that can be
particularly associated with him and his contribution to other manuscripts lie
behind a proportion of the secondary miniatures, especially in the Suffrages,
and in borders with fgural inclusions. Many of the latter derive from lively
inventions frst seen in manuscripts by the most innovative illuminator of the
previous generation, the Vienna Master of Mary of Burgundy, for example in
the margins of the Hours of Engelbert of Nassau (Oxford, Bodleian Library
Douce 219-220), usually dated to the 1480s. It is back to this same source that
the idea behind the design of two of the most striking borders in the Prayerbook
can be traced: the peacock feathers (f.225v) and the skulls (f.164v). Alexander
Bening is regarded as the most productive pupil of the Vienna Master of Mary
of Burgundy, and he was one of the earliest to use the type of trompe l’oeil border
that is so beautifully exemplifed in the present manuscript, where naturalistic
fowers lie as if strewn and casting shadows on the surface of the page.
Horenbout played a minor role in the Hours of James IV of Scotland: he
provided the portrait of the king, while Alexander Bening and his workshop
were responsible for most of the illumination. The borders are replicas of many
in the Rothschild Prayerbook and it seems unlikely that the manuscripts should
be dated very far apart. The Hours of James IV are usually thought to have been
illuminated around the time of his marriage in 1503.
Numerous manuscripts have been attributed to Alexander Bening, and
the miniatures they contain vary in quality and handling. The Rothschild
Prayerbook, however, contains some of the most elegant and refned work in
this style, for example the Virgin and Child with Angels (f.69v), the Evangelist
(f.206v), Susannah and the Elders (f.234v), and St Jerome (f.221v) and are
comparable to the London Hours of William Lord Hastings (BL Add. Ms
54782), the manuscript that has been described as the masterpiece of the Older
Prayerbook Master and a seminal work of the late Flemish tradition.
It is the correspondence between the discernable career and infuence of the
Older Prayerbook Master and the documented life of the illuminator Alexander
(or Sanders) Bening that led to the suggestion that they are one and the same.
This view has gained wide acceptance displacing earlier ‘identifcations’.
Alexander Bening, a friend of Hugo van der Goes and Justus of Ghent,
joined the guild in Ghent in 1469 and died there in 1519. His identifcation
is supported by the close integration in this manuscript of his work with that
of his son Simon (c.1483-1561). The most remarkable of Simon’s miniatures,
and with the most individual framing in the book, is the Vision of St Bernard
(f.245v). The subtlety of handling in the modelling of fesh, and the description
of fabric and form demonstrate why Simon Bening went on to become the
most celebrated illuminator of his day.

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148
Another of Simon’s contributions to the Prayerbook, the
Miracle of the Ass and St Anthony of Padua (f.240v), is a
version of the miniature provided by his father for the Breviary
of Eleanor of Portugal (The Morgan Library & Museum, Ms
M.52), the design of which was taken up and reversed by Gerard
David for his painting in the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio.

Gerard David’s own activity as an illuminator has recently been

more widely delineated and one image in the Prayerbook — an
image of breath-taking beauty — has been accepted as by the
Bruges Master. The Virgin and Child on a Crescent Moon
(f.197v), which introduces the Joys of the Virgin, is treated in a
quite different manner from the other miniatures.

It is presented as an independent icon; within a narrow pearl-

studded frame the three-quarter-length fgure is isolated against
a golden radiance, two small angels holding the crown of the
Queen of Heaven above her head. The drapery and fgure
style suggest that the composition was drawn by the Older
Prayerbook Master, and the angels may also have been painted
by him. But the young mother and her infant son are portrayed
with an unsurpassed delicacy and an artistry that manages to
convey their feelings and relationship as well as their appearance.
It is as much the investment of this sensibility as the touching
charm of the pair that marks out this miniature as the work of
David, and makes it comparable with his Virgin among Virgins
in New York (The Morgan Library & Museum M. 659). The
similarity to the Morgan leaf in the form and handling of the St
Catherine and St Clara (ff.228v & 230v), albeit less polished and
precise than the Virgin and Child, suggests that these two should
also be considered as the work of the Bruges painter. They are
closely comparable to the St Catherine and St Elizabeth given to
David in the Mayer van der Bergh Breviary (Antwerp, Museum
Mayer van der Bergh, inv.946).

149
150
151
152
One more illuminator whose style is immediately recognisable contributed several miniatures for the Hours of the
Days of the Week and some of the scenes concerning the infancy of Christ that illustrate the Offce of the Virgin.
In spite of being known as the Master of the Prayerbooks of c.1500 after a Book of Hours in Vienna (ÖNB, Cod.
1862), this artist is best known for his work in delightful secular manuscripts, above all the Roman de la Rose in the
British Library (Harley Ms 4425). The intimate integration of his work with that of Alexander Bening is most
engagingly evident on the opening of prime in the Offce of the Virgin (ff.108v/109) where his miniature of the
Nativity is bordered by other episodes from the biblical narrative and faces the lively scene showing the shepherds’
joyful dancing response to the angels’ announcement of Christ’s birth.

The intermingling of contributions by more than one illuminator to a page, or even to a miniature, raises questions
about the organisation and location of production, and suggests the close physical proximity of the collaborating
painters. It also makes a vexed question of the attribution of some folios; nowhere more so than in the Suffrages.
In this section of the manuscript where the miniatures are integral with the text, and most bifolia carry two
illustrations, the collaboration or successive involvement of different artists is at its most intimate and confusing.
A number of the compositions are recognisably from the repertoire of Alexander Bening, for example St Peter
(f.207v), St Stephen (f.218v) and St Anthony Abbot (f.222v), but the technique, palette, and accomplishment differ
from one miniature to another and only St Anthony seems painted by Alexander himself. His work is evident in
several other Suffrage miniatures, being most clearly recognisable in the full-length fgures, but the remainder
appear to be painted by other hands: often even two miniatures on a single bifolium appear to have been painted
by different artists. Scholarly opinion over authorship has varied and the names of different illuminators have
been invoked in connection with some of these miniatures: Gerard David, Gerard Horenbout and Simon Bening
among them. One thing remains beyond dispute: they are of an extraordinary high quality.

153
154
Several of the most arresting — usually based upon a design, if not a drawing, from Alexander Bening — can be
grouped around the miniature of St Stephen (f.218v). These half-length fgures convey an impression of concerned
preoccupation, are solidly three-dimensional — their bodies and the drapery clothing them described with weight
and volume — and the texture and sheen of fabrics are realistically evoked, backgrounds are often detailed and
deeply recessive. This vivid realism and attention across the painted feld are characteristic of Gerard Horenbout
and these miniatures seem to be painted by him on designs associated with Alexander Bening. Two of this group
are particularly instructive of Horenbout’s approach: St Lawrence (f.219v) and St Vincent (f.238v) are clearly based
on the same pattern, even to drapery folds and a wart on the cheek, yet the setting is an entirely fresh invention
ftting for each saint.

Another exceptionally fne group of half-length fgures, but these with a broader yet precise treatment of fesh and
drapery include St Peter (f.207v), St Paul (f.208v) and St James (f.209v), with female saints painted in this manner
including the Magdalene (f. 227v) and St Helena (f.233v). These are highly fnished and polished miniatures where
the contemplative saint stands, eyes usually downcast, in suitably urban or rural settings. These are surely the work
of the young Simon Bening but, once again, painted on designs associable with his father. The poetic and distant
vista, appropriately placed behind James, the pilgrim saint, foretells Simon’s accomplishment as a landscape painter
and his eventual reputation as the ‘greatest master of illumination in all of Europe’.

all aspects of this book of hours — from the quality of the parchment to the wealth and refinement
of the decoration — place it among the most prestigious and exquisite examples of flemish manuscript
illumination, and the finest to remain in private hands.

155
156
select bibliography: B. Brinkmann, Die Flämische Buchmalerei am Ende des
Burgunderreichs: Die Meister des Dresdener Gebetbuchs und
F. Schestag, Katalog der Kunstsammlung des Freiherrn die Miniaturen seiner Zeit (Turnhout 1997)
Anselm von Rothschild in Wien (Vienna 1872)
M. Smeyers, L’Art de la miniature famande du viiie au xvie
Rothschild Gebetbuch: vollständige Faksimile-Ausgabe im siècle (Tournai 1998)
Originalformat des Codex Vindobonensis Series nova 2844
M. W. Ainsworth, Gerard David: Purity of Vision in an
der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek. Codices Selecti
Age of Transition (New York 1998)
LXVII (Graz 1979), 2 vols, commentary by E. Trenkler
Illuminating the Renaissance: the Triumph of Flemish
P. de Winter, ‘A Book of Hours of Queen Isabel la Manuscript Painting in Europe, eds T. Kren and S.
Catolica’, The Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art, McKendrick, (London & Los Angeles 2003)
LXVII (1981), pp.342-427
B. Dekeyzer, Layers of Illusion, the Mayer van der Bergh
J.M. Plotzek, Die Handschriften der Sammlung Ludwig Breviary (Ghent/Amsterdam 2004)
(Cologne 1982), ii, pp.256-285
M. W. Ainsworth, ‘Diverse Patterns Pertaining to the Crafts
T. Kren, Renaissance Painting in Manuscripts: Treasures of Painters or Illuminators, Gerard David and the Bening
from the British Library, (London & Los Angeles 1983), Workshop’, Master Drawings, 41 (2003), pp.240-265
pp.63-68
C. de Hamel, The Rothschilds and Their Collections of
F. Unterkircher, Das Rothschild-Gebetbuch: die schönsten Illuminated Manuscripts (London 2005)
Miniaturen eines fämischen Stundenbuches (Graz 1984)
G. Clark, Das Da Costa Stundenbuch, Commentary/
F. Unterkircher, Das Stundenbuch des Mittelalters Kommentar (Graz 2010)
(Graz 1985)
M. Krieger, Gerard Horenbout und der Meister Jacobs IV.
D. Thoss, Flämische Buchmalerei: Handschriftenschätze aus von Schottland, stilkritische Überlegungen zur fämische
dem Burgunderreich, (Graz 1987) Buchmalerei (Vienna 2012)

$12,000,000-18,000,000
£8,000,000-12,000,000
€9,000,000-13,000,000

For more information and images please contact the Book Department 157
 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

158
GERARD DAVID
(Oudewater c. 1460-1523 Bruges)

The Lamentation
oil on panel, in the original frame
9¡ x 7¡ in. (23.9 x 18.6 cm.)

$1,500,000-2,500,000
£1,000,000-1,700,000
€1,200,000-1,900,000

PROVENANCE:
(Probably) F. Mont, New York, from whom
purchased by the family of the present owners.

LITERATURE:
J. Sander, “Ein unbekanntes Werk Gerard Davids:
Die Beweinung Christi in Halbfgur”, Städel-
Jahrbuch, XVI, 1997, pp. 159-170.

158
159
 T his powerful devotional panel was painted by Gerard
David during the frst decades of the 16th century,
when he was arguably the most important painter working
in a landscape, grieving at the foot of the Cross while Saint John
holds Christ’s body (Art Institute, Chicago, inv. 1933.1040).
The present painting is closer, however, to David’s treatment of
in Renaissance Bruges. Conceived on an intimate scale, it the subject in the late 1490s, when he incorporated the Threnos
originally formed the right half of a portable diptych, which motif - as interpreted by Van der Weyden and Bouts - into
could open and close like a book to be conveniently carried his compositions (see M.W. Ainsworth, Gerard David: Purity of
and displayed by travelers. David represents the Virgin Mary Vision in an Age of Transition, New York, 1998, pp. 139-143).
cradling Christ’s ashen body in her arms, while Saint John In this new Lamentation design, notable examples of which
the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene grieve behind them. The include panels in the Church of San Gil, Burgos and in the
four fgures are set dramatically close to the picture plane and Johnson Collection, Philadelphia (inv. 328), the Virgin leans
compressed into their tight setting. In this way, David infuses over her son’s body, cradling his head with her hand. Later in
his painting with pathos, focusing attention on the fgures’ his career, David and his workshop would return to this revised
emotions, glances and gestures as they react to Christ’s sacrifce, composition on many occasions, often working from design
thereby fostering an intensely spiritual experience on the part patterns to block out the fgures, which could be rearranged
of the viewer (see S. Ringbom, Icon to Narrative-the Rise of the and altered according to his client’s wishes (ibid.). Of these late
Dramatic Close-up in Fifteenth-century Devotional Painting, 2nd Lamentations, the panel in the National Gallery, London (inv.
edition, Doornspijk, 1984, passim, esp. p. 139). On the basis NG1078), generally dated to 1515, is closest in design to our
of the panel’s sophisticated coloring and technique, Jochen painting, which repeats the central pairing of the Virgin and her
Sander concluded in his 1997 study of this painting that it was son in the London picture - including the darkened bruise on
a masterpiece of 16th-century painting in Bruges, from David’s Christ’s forehead left by the Crown of Thorns - but eliminates
late period (op. cit., p. 159). the background elements and presents the fgures in half-length.
A popular subject in Netherlandish Renaissance art, The As Sander notes, in the present panel, David built up
Lamentation depicts a moment immediately after Christ is taken the paint surface with successive layers of translucent glazes,
down from the Cross. While the Deposition is briefy described blending his colors to create delicate transitions of tone and
by all four Evangelists, the specifc episode represented here soft contours which are typical of his late style (op. cit., p.
does not appear in the Gospels. David’s source was likely the 159). Remarkably, the artist manipulated the wet paint surface
Meditations on the Life of Christ, a widely read text that promoted with his fngers, leaving traces of his fngerprints in the darker
a deep, personal connection with the sufferings of Jesus. passages such as Christ and John’s hair, as well as the shadows
Probably written in the late-13th century by an anonymous on the Magdalene’s face. Pentiments are visible to the naked
Franciscan friar called the Pseudo-Bonaventura, the book offers eye: David enlarged John’s chin, lowered Christ’s forearm, and
a detailed account of the events following the Crucifxion, changed the contour of the Virgin’s cheek so that it extends
specifying that Mary Magdalene and Saint John the Evangelist over his face.
were both present while Mary mourned for her son. The motif The Lamentation is housed in its original carved, gilt frame,
of the Virgin embracing her son cheek-to-cheek, however, which, like the panel, is made from Baltic oak. The elegant
ultimately derives from a Byzantine icon type known as the profle of its molding contributes to the object’s preciousness,
Threnos. By the time David produced the present painting, this but also creates the illusion that the viewer is actually witnessing
imagery had been absorbed into the general pictorial language of the holy scene through a window. The composition is
Northern Renaissance art: in the 1440s, Rogier van der Weyden illuminated from the upper left by an unseen light source
took inspiration from the Threnos for the central panel of his located precisely where Mary Magdalene has focused her gaze,
Mirafores Altarpiece (Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, inv. 534A), possibly emanating from God the Father himself. David’s
in which Mary embraces the dead Christ before the Cross attention to detail carries over to the panel’s reverse, which is
as John the Evangelist and Nicodemus comfort her. Rogier’s painted. The simulated stone surface is also lit from the upper
composition was widely emulated by Netherlandish painters left, and David includes a shadow over the trompe-l’oeil frame
including Dieric Bouts, whose c. 1455/60 Lamentation (Louvre, that runs along the edges, which would have delighted the
Paris) modifes the Mirafores panel, replacing Nicodemus with viewer when the diptych was folded shut.
the Magdalene. David would draw upon both of these paintings Of the many small devotional diptychs that David painted in
for his own interpretations of this subject. the early 16th century, nearly all of them have been dismantled
David’s earliest Lamentation is a panel from an altarpiece and separated. A similarly-size panel of Christ taking leave of
datable to c. 1485, which represents the Virgin and Magdalene his mother in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

160
 (reverse of the present lot)

(inv. 14.40.636), for instance, was probably originally paired Netherlandish Painting, VIb, Hans Memlinc and Gerard David,
with a Virgin and child with Angels, now in the Bearstead trans. H. Norden, New York, 1971, no. 194b). In the early
Collection, Upton House, Banbury (M.W. Ainsworth, 20th century, Eberhard von Bodenhausen wrote that he knew
op. cit., pp. 274 ff., fg. 261). Two dovetail recessions along the of the Fondi Lamentation’s pendant, which was listed in the
left side of the present painting correspond to where hinges Fondi sale catalogue as “La Sainte vierge alliatant l’enfant Jysus”
would have originally fastened it to its pendant, which would (sale, Chev. G. Sangiorgi, Rome, 22 April 1895, lot 245; E.
likely have represented The Virgin and Child (Sander, op. cit., von Bodenhausen, Gerard David und seine Schule, Heidelberg,
p. 164). Through such a pairing, the viewer could contemplate 1905, p. 192, under 41b). Another version of our Lamentation,
and aspire to the Virgin Mary’s constant faith throughout which represents only Mary and Christ, in the Hermitage,
her son’s suffering on behalf of mankind. This hypothetical Saint Petersburg, and was considered by Friedländer to be
reconstruction is supported by the existence of a much weaker a workshop production (inv. 402; M. J. Friedländer, Early
version of The Lamentation by a follower of David, which Netherlandish Painting, VIb, Hans Memlinc and Gerard David,
was formerly in the Fondi collection in Naples and later in trans. H. Norden, New York, 1971, no. 194a).
the Van Gelder collection, Ukkel (M. J. Friedländer, Early

161
 159
ADRIAEN ISENBRANDT
(?Antwerp early 16th century-before 1551 Bruges)

The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with musical angels, a landscape beyond
oil on panel
11æ x 8æ in. (29.9 x 22.3 cm.)

$300,000-500,000
F200,000-330,000
€230,000-370,000
T his splendid panel depicts the Virgin and Child enthroned beneath an opulent
baldachin and serenaded by a chorus of angels. Luxurious details, such as the
cabochon-cut gems on the Virgin’s neckline and the illuminated book held by one of
the singing angels, complement the golden architecture, remarkable for its famboyant
tracery and delicate fligree. The sweeping Flemish landscape in the background
situates this heavenly vision on earth, fostering a more direct and meaningful
engagement with the viewer.
Adriaen Isenbrandt painted this refned devotional panel in Bruges sometime
PROVENANCE: after 1515. The details of Isenbrandt’s life remain obscure. He became a master in
(Possibly) Baron E. de Rothschild, Paris.
the Bruges Guild of St. Luke in 1510, and must have enjoyed a successful career, as
Private collection, Great Britian, until c. 1979.
he held various offces through the 1530s. He is thought to have worked in Gerard
EXHIBITED: David’s studio, either as an apprentice or a highly-skilled journeyman. Their close
London, Royal Academy, Trafalgar Galleries at the working relationship is evidenced by the fact that the artists seem to have shared
Royal Academy, II, 28 September-12 October 1979,
preparatory drawings and patterns (J.C. Wilson, ‘Adriaen Isenbrant and the Problem
no. 11.
London, Trafalgar Galleries, Anniversary Exhibition, of his Oeuvre’, Oud Holland, CIX, 1995, p. 2). As Jean Wilson has shown, in the
1996, no. 11. closing decades of the 15th century, this was common practice in Bruges (J. Wilson,
Painting in Bruges at the Close of the Middle Ages, University Park, 1998, pp. 87-131;
LITERATURE:
see also M.W. Ainsworth, Gerard David, 1998, pp. 276-308). These could either be
(Possibly) Max J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish
Painting, XI, The Antwerp Mannerists. Adrien
pricked and transferred to panels by pouncing for direct repetitions or freely adapted
Ysenbrant, trans. H. Norden from Die and combined with other models to create new compositions. Such was the case
Altniederländische Malerei, [Berlin, 1924-1937], for the present painting, in which Isenbrandt drew upon several patterns that must
New York, 1974, p. 82, no. 134a. have been circulating in Bruges during the early decades of the 16th century. The
most important compositional elements are found in the Malvagna Triptych (Galleria
Regionale della Sicilia, Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo), painted by Jan Gossart and Gerard
David c. 1513-15 (see M.W. Ainsworth, ed., Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasures: Jan
Gossart’s Renaissance, exhibition catalogue, New Haven and London, 2010, pp. 131-
139, no. 6). A second version of this painting, by Jan Gossart alone, is in a private
collection in Germany and was likely a forerunner to the larger triptych (ibid., pp.
126-130, no. 5).
For the present painting, Isenbrandt adapted the Gothic baldachin’s extraordinary
intricate tracery as well as the golden-haired angels surrounding the Virgin and Child
from Gossart’s designs. The background architecture, landscape and fgures, in turn,
derive from David’s contributions to the Malvagna Triptych. Yet Isenbrandt is no
mere copyist: he selects the best details from both artists and combines them with his
own inventions. The Virgin Mary, for instance, with her soft features, heavy-lidded,
downcast eyes and small mouth is entirely Isenbrandt’s creation, painted in his distinct
style characterized by a preference for soft, smoky contours. She holds a thornless
white rose symbolizing her purity, and wears a blue dress with a red mantle, further
distinguishing her from the fgure in the Malvagna Triptych. Isenbrandt also modifes
the pose and morphology of the Christ Child, who reaches out to pet an exotic bird
presented by one of the angels. Notably, the drapery folds of Isenbrandt’s Virgin recur
in other paintings by the artist, such as The Virgin and Child in a Niche in the New
Orleans Museum of Art. This same drapery pattern may have originated, in reverse,
in David’s Virgo inter Virgines of 1509 (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen, inv. 803.4),
providing further evidence of the circulation of these designs.
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 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

160
WORKSHOP OF JOOS VAN CLEVE
(Cleve? c. 1485-1540/1 Antwerp)

The Virgin and Child

oil on panel, shaped top
34º x 24æ in. (87 x 63 cm.)

$700,000-1,000,000
F470,000-670,000
€530,000-750,000

PROVENANCE:
with Malmedé & Geissendörfer, Cologne, 1931.

EXHIBITED:
T his superb panel represents the Virgin and Christ Child enthroned in an Italianate
loggia overlooking a deep and sweeping Northern landscape. Mary’s pyramidal
form, accentuated by the voluminous folds of her splendid crimson mantle, frames
Munich, Haus der Kunst, 2004. the Christ Child, who reclines in her arms. His gaze is directed toward an unseen
presence outside the panel, most likely a donor who would have been represented
LITERATURE:
in the left wing of this now dismantled triptych. Draped over Christ’s shoulder and
M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, IXa,
Joos van Cleve, Jan Provost, Joachim Patenier, trans. arm is a coral rosary with a gold-accented paternoster bead; his left hand rests on an
H. Norden from Die Altniederländishe Malerei, apple, a reference to the fruit from the tree of knowledge and his future mission as
[Berlin, 1934], New York, 1972, p. 43, pl. 76, mankind’s Redeemer from Original Sin. The apple also evokes images of Christ as
as Imitator A.
Salvator Mundi, in which he is shown holding an orb, symbol of his dominion over the
world. Mary’s pensive expression suggests her awareness of her son’s destiny, which
is further evoked by the white cloth beneath him, an allusion to the shroud in which
his body was wrapped after the Crucifxion, and also to the white linen corporal used
by priests to hold the Sacred Host during the Mass.
The Virgin’s pose relates to Joos van Cleve’s Holy Family of c. 1525 (Manchester,
New Hampshire, The Currier Gallery of Art, inv. 1956.5), and it is likely that the
same design was employed for both paintings. In each, Mary tilts her head to the
right and shows similarly full cheeks, heavy-lidded eyes and a dimpled chin, although
these features are more pronounced in the present work. While the fgures’ silhouettes
are nearly identical, there are subtle differences in the drapery folds, which are more
agitated in our picture. While there are parallels in Joos’s oeuvre for many of the
other compositional motifs found here, there are no direct precedents for them,
suggesting they were invented for this altarpiece. One example of particular note
is the still life on the table at lower right: a crystal beaker partially flled with wine
(a symbol of the Eucharist) resting next to a golden quince, another reference to
Original Sin and by extension, to Christ and Mary as the new Adam and Eve. The
artist has carefully studied the effects of light falling on the beaker’s transparent
surface with its shimmering refections, including that of a window on the glass’s
base, revealing the light source illuminating the entire composition from upper left.
The transparent glass may also symbolize the purity of the Virgin, calling to mind
the popular hymn long associated with the feast of the Nativity, which ends with the
line: “As the sunbeam through the glass passeth but not staineth, so the Virgin, as she
was, virgin still remaineth”.
The setting is replete with luxurious touches, such as the polychrome marble
column embellished with a gilt bronze capital and base. Once again, the artist’s
consummate skill in capturing effects of sunlight can be observed on the stone’s
polished surface and metal accents. The green cloth of honor behind the Virgin was
164
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166
surely inspired by the expensive textiles the artist would have that distinguished his hand (loc. cit.). Friedländer tentatively
encountered in Antwerp’s international markets. Its pattern of identifed him as Claes van Brugghe, the only apprentice that
stylized arabesques contrasts with the naturalistically rendered Joos entered into Antwerp’s guild register between 1516 and
fowers embroidered on the cushion resting on the wooden 1523. This painter may be the “Claes Bousant, scildere” who
bench. On the left, the loggia overlooks a courtyard with a became a master in 1523, the same year that Joos took on a
covered walkway dotted with ivy. In the foreground is a scene new apprentice. To this artist Friedländer also ascribed a small
from the early life of Christ: Joseph, the carpenter, is chopping painting of the Infant Jesus in the Koninklijk Museum voor
wood with the assistance of the infant Jesus, who gathers the Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, which repeats the exact pose of the
splinters into a basket. Nearby, Mary sews a kerchief on her Christ in the present painting, but omits the rosary. Comparison
lap, alluding to her domestic skills and her role as “handmaiden of these two works, however, reveals vast differences in quality.
to the Lord” (Luke 1:38). The garden with a fountain that lies The fgure in the Antwerp panel lacks the subtlety of modeling
behind them alludes to the sacred precinct of Mary, the hortus found in our picture, particularly in Christ’s face. The design
conclusus, a symbol of her purity. This imagery derives from the for the present painting was also used for a Madonna and Child
Song of Solomon as interpreted by Saint Bernard, who read recently ascribed to Joos’s studio, datable to c. 1530 (Musée des
the biblical love poem as an ode to the Virgin as the Bride of Beaux-Arts de Limoges, Limoges; P. van den Brink, ed., Joos
Christ. The juxtaposition of the fountain, or “well of living van Cleve: Leonardo des Nordens, exhibition catalogue, Stuttgart,
waters”, with the garden similarly stems from Solomon’s poem, 2011, pp. 173-4, no. 36, fg. 143). Once again, the quality is
and was a well-established pictorial convention at the time. inferior to our altarpiece: the features in the Limoges panel
A family of storks has nested on the gate’s tallest tower; since are simplifed and the drapery less subtly articulated. A closer
antiquity, these birds have been associated with flial piety and comparison is found in Joos’s Lucretia (Kunsthaus, Zurich, Prof.
devotion. Another scene from the Infancy of Christ, the Flight Dr. L. Luzick-Stiftung, inv. 6), which John Hand considers
into Egypt, is represented in the landscape visible on the right fully autograph and datable to c. 1518/20 (J.O. Hand, Joos
side of the loggia. van Cleve: the Complete Paintings, New Haven, 2004, pp. 47-8,
When Friedländer published this picture in the 1930s, 126, no. 21, fg. 4). Working from photographs, Till-Holger
possibly working only from photographs, he suggested that its Borchert has suggested that both works may have been painted
author was a yet unidentifed artist with a style remarkably close by the same hand (written communication, 12 December
to that of Joos van Cleve, but who exhibited certain key traits 2013).

(detail of the present lot)

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 161
CIRCLE OF LUCAS CRANACH I
(Kronach 1472-1553 Weimar)

The Emperor Maximilian I idealized as Saint George

oil on panel
19 x 17√ in. (48.3 x 45.4 cm.)

$200,000-300,000
F140,000-200,000
€150,000-220,000 A ttired in an extravagant, plumed hat and a shining suit of armor with slashed
hosen, Saint George reaches down from his horse to take the hand of a
fashionably-dressed princess whom he has rescued from the dragon. The saint is
attended by his squire and three mounted soldiers, all of whom wear plumed helmets
with their visors raised. A monogram with the initials ‘M.I.’ surmounted by a crown
appears on all of the horse brasses and on Saint George’s chapeau. It is even more
PROVENANCE:
prominently displayed on the leading retainer’s shoulder and on the arm of the
In the collection of a nobleman until 1978.
with Trafalgar Galleries, London. squire, although in the latter case only the crown has been preserved (the monogram
itself appears to have been abraded). This repeated device, together with the unusual
LITERATURE: presence of the squire, who rarely appears in representations of this event from the
Trafalgar Galleries at the Royal Academy, exhibition
saint’s life, suggest that the artist intended this particular George to be identifable.
catalogue, London, 1979, II, no. 7.
In 1979, Mr. A. Colin Cole, the Garter King of Arms, suggested that the
monogram might refer to either the Virgin Mary or to Maximilian I (1459-1519),
who became Holy Roman Emperor in 1508 (op. cit.). Although the bearded saint’s
features are clearly not those of Maximilian, the contemporary viewer would have
nonetheless recognized this as a disguised portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor.
Knightly virtues and chivalry were fundamental to Maximilian’s identity. He
had a passion for tournaments, and in his writings such as Freydal and the largely
autobiographical poems entitled The Dangers and Adventures of the Famous Knight
Teuerdank and the Weisskqnig, he frequently cast himself in the role of a valiant knight-
errant. Moreover, Maximilian was a fervent supporter of the Order of Saint George,
which had been established by his father, Frederick III in 1464. In 1493, he renewed
and expanded the order as the Brotherhood of Saint George, encouraging aristocrats
to join to raise funds for a campaign against the Ottoman Empire. Maximilian himself
had already defeated the invading Turks at Carinthia in 1492, and mounting a new
crusade was central to his mission. While he was ultimately unable to expel the Turks
from Europe, appearing in the guise of Saint George would have been a way to
symbolically show himself as victor over these foes.
The present disguised portrait of Maximilian is not without precedent. Around
1507, Lucas Cranach the Elder created a chiaroscuro woodcut representing Saint
George and the Dragon, an example of which is preserved in the British Museum,
London (inv. B.65). While the monogram repeated on the horse’s caparison is that
of his patron, Friederick the Wise (1463-1525), it is thought that the knight was
intended to represent Maximilian. Certainly the idea was pleasing to the Emperor,
as in 1508, Hans Burgkmair was commissioned to create two chiaroscuro prints of
this theme: an Equestrian Portrait of Maximilian I, and its pendant, Saint George and the
Dragon (see D. Landau and P. Parshall, The Renaissance Print: 1470-1550, New Haven
and London, 1994, pp. 184-190).
We are grateful to Dieter Koepplin, for confrming the attribution on the basis
of a photograph and for suggesting that the painting may have been produced in
the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (written communication, 14 December
2013). Dr. Koepplin dates our work to c. 1515/20, comparing it to Cranach’s The
Decapitation of Saint Catherine (Kromeriz, Czech Republic, Archiepiscopal Palace; M.J.
Friedländer and J. Rosenberg, The Paintings of Lucas Cranach, Ithaca, 1978, no. 74).

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 PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR

162
ALBRECHT DÜRER
(Nuremberg 1471-1528)

Adam and Eve

Engraving, 1504, watermark Bull’s Head with Flower and Triangle (M. 62), a superb, rich and early Meder IIa impression,
printing with astonishing clarity and depth and intense contrasts, trimmed inside the platemark but just outside
the subject, in excellent condition

Sheet: 9æ x 7Ω in. (248 x 192 mm.)

culminating in 1504 in the engraving of Adam and Eve. The two fgures, standing
$400,000-600,000 frontally in a pronounced contrapposto, their heads turned towards each other in
full profle, are the fnal expression of a long artistic process, ranging from numerous
F270,000-400,000
schematic studies to preparatory sketches of individual gestures and body parts to the
€300,000-450,000 highly fnished drawing of the two fgures, executed on two joined sheets and united
by a blackened background (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; W. 333).
Created the year before Dürer’s second Italian journey in 1505 and presumably
PROVENANCE: made as a show-piece to take to Venice, Adam and Eve is a work of great aspiration
Albertina, Vienna, with their stamp and and confdence. It is a programmatic work and the only one to bear the full name
de-accession stamp verso (Lugt 5 d).
C. G. Boerner, Leipzig, 3 May 1932, sale no. 178,
and birthplace of the artist: ALBERT DVRER NORICUS FACIEBAT 1504 reads
lot 2 (8.000 Reischsmark) (this impression cited in the tablet in sober Latin script; a device borrowed from Pollaiuolo and Mantegna.
Lugt, cf. L. 174). Inspired mainly by Italian and antique sources, Adam and Eve was intended to
Private European collection. demonstrate that—despite their reputation—the Germans and in particular Dürer
himself was capable of depicting human fgures of classical beauty.
LITERATURE:
Joseph Meder, Dürer-Katalog, Vienna, 1932, Da His ambition however did not stop there: for no other print prior to this did he
Capo Press, New York, 1971 (reprint), no. 1 II.a employ a similarly differentiated variety of graphic marks, from densest crosshatching
(another impression illustrated). to curving lines, short ficks and fnest stipples, to render different textures and surfaces.
Erwin Panofsky, The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer,
Erwin Panofsky described the effect most beautifully: The engraving, he wrote, ‘has
Princeton, New Jersey, 1943/2005, pp. 84-85.
K.G. Boon and R.W. Scheller (eds.), F. W. H. always been famous for the splendor of a technique which does equal justice to
Hollstein - German Engravings, Etchings and the warm glow of human skin, to the chilly slipperiness of a snake, to the metallic
Woodcuts circa 1400-1700: Albrecht and Hans Dürer, undulations of locks and tresses, to the smooth, shaggy, downy or bristly qualities of
Menno Hertzberger, Amsterdam, 1962, vol. VII, no.
animal coats, and to the twilight of a primeval forest’ (Panofsky, p. 84). Dürer thus
1 IV (another impression illustrated).
Walter L. Strauss (ed.), The Illustrated Bartsch,
combined the virtues of Northern art, the painstaking realism and attention to detail
Abaris Books, New York, 1980, vol. 10, no. 1 for which the Italians admired the Flemish masters, with Italy’s own artistic ideals of
(another impression illustrated). the Renaissance: disegno and the depiction of nudes of classical proportions.
Rainer Schoch, Matthias Mende, Anna Scherbaum, Yet this engraving is more still than a stupendous formal exercise and a dazzling
Albrecht Dürer - Das druckgraphische Werk in drei
Bänden, Prestel, Munich/ London/ New York,
display of technical virtuosity. Often overlooked as such, it is also a work of
2001, vol. I, no. 39, pp. 110-113 (another impression considerable iconographic complexity. The entire composition is an image of duality
illustrated). and division. The Tree of Knowledge separates Adam from Eve, and divides the
image into two halves. Whilst Eve is associated with this tree, Adam grasps a branch
of mountain ash, identifed as the Tree of Life. The parrot and the serpent respectively

U nlike any German artist of previous

generations, Albrecht Dürer drew,
engraved and painted male and female
symbolise wisdom and betrayal. The cat and mouse in the foreground form another
pair of opposites as predator and prey—but death has not yet come into the world
and they sit peacefully together. The animals in the forest furthermore allude to the
nudes throughout much of his early scholastic doctrine of the ‘four humours’, which rule and corrupt the human existence
career. His approach was manifold: he since the Fall of Man. The moose, the cow, the rabbit and the cat each respectively
drew from live models and his own represent the melancholic, phlegmatic, sanguine and the choleric temperaments. The
body, copied engravings by Mantegna, mountain goat however is a traditional symbol of lust and damnation. Far in the
Jacopo de’ Barbari and others, studied background behind Eve, it stands on the edge of the abyss.
drawings after antique sculpture such as Adam and Eve is undoubtedly one of Dürer’s most celebrated engravings and one
the Apollo Belvedere, and constructed of the most widely reproduced—and hence most familiar—images of the Fall of Man.
studies of nudes according to Vitruvian Yet to see a fne impression in the original is an altogether different and exhilarating
principles. From around 1500, he experience. The present example is a duplicate from the Albertina in Vienna, famous
became increasingly pre-occupied with for its unparalleled holdings of prints and drawings by Dürer. It is arguably the fnest
this quest for ideal human proportions, impression to be offered at auction for many years.
170
(actual size)

171
 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

163
CHRISTOPH AMBERGER
(Augsburg c. 1505-1561/1562)

Portrait of Barbara Schwarz, half-length

dated ‘1501/ADI·21:AVG:TO’ (upper right, in geometric diagram with symbols) and inscribed ‘TO·XXI.
AVG:M·DXLII·BARBARA·DIE MATHEVSIN SCHWERTZIN·AE.KRAD.XXXV.IAR’ (upper right)
oil on panel
28¡ x 24¿ in. (72 x 61.2 cm.)

$4,000,000-6,000,000
£2,700,000-4,000,000
€3,000,000-4,500,000

PROVENANCE:
Painted for the sitter’s husband, Matthäus Schwarz
(1497-c.1574) to commemorate her birthday,
21 August 1542, and by descent.
(Possibly) ‘Ferdinand August Hartmann’, probably
the painter Christian Ferdinand Hartmann (1774-
1842), Dresden, with the pendant portrait of
Matthäus Schwarz, and by descent to
Johann Gottlob von Quandt (1787-1859), Dresden;
(†), 1868.
Von Ritzenberg Collection, Schloss Nischwitz, near
Wurzen, Saxony, until 1870.
Richard Freiherr von Friesen (1808-1884),
Dresden, with the pendant; (†), Heberle and
Lempertz, Cologne, 26 March 1885, lot 3, ‘äusserst
charakteristisch mit grosser Meisterschaft
behandelten Bilder haben noch das erhöhte
kunsthistorische Interesse’ (sold with the pendant
for 6,500 Marks to the following).
Dr. Martin Schubart (1840-1899), Dresden and
subsequently Munich, with the pendant, by
1894; (†), Helbing, Munich, 23 October 1899, lot
3 (sold with the pendant for 51,000 Marks to the
following).
with P. & D. Colnaghi, London, with the pendant.
Leopold Hirsch (1857-1932), 10 Kensington
Palace Gardens, London, with the pendant, by
1906; (†), Christie’s, London, 11 May 1934, lot 89,
(sold separately from the pendant, 1,500 gns. to
Heinemann).
with Arnold Seligmann, New York and London,
1936.
with Kurt Meissner, Zurich, 1953.
Acquired in 1976 by the family of the present
owner.

EXHIBITED:
Munich, Glaspalast, VI. Internationale
Kunstausstellung, Alte Meisterwerke, 1894 (curated
by Franz von Lenbach).
Munich, Köningliche Kunstausstellungs-Gebäude,
1895, no. 2.
London, Burlington Fine Arts Club, Exhibition of
Early German Art, 1906, no. 27.
(Possibly) Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts, c. 1969.
Augsburg, Rathaus und Zeughaus, Die Welt im
Umbruch: Augsburg zwischen Renaissance und
Barock, 28 June-28 September 1980, no. 457 (note
by K. Löcher).

172
173
 LITERATURE: W. von Seidlitz, Beilage der Allgemeinen Zeitung, Bildnismalerei des 16. Jahrhunderts’, Jahrbuch
V. C. Schwarz, Kostümbuch [‘Das Schwarz’sche 1894, no. 19. der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen in Baden-
Trachtenbuch II’], 1561, MS, Brunswick, Herzog F. von Reber and R. Bayersdorfer, Klassischer Würtemberg, IV, 1967, pp. 47ff.
Anton Ulrich-Museum, Kupferstichkabinett, inv. Bilderschatz, VII, 1895, no. 994. J. C. Ebbinge-Wubben, C. Salm, C. Sterling, and T.
H.27 Nr. 51,’Barbara Mangolltin meiner Lieben F. Pecht, Allgemeinen Zeitung, 1895, no. 194. Heinemann, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection,
mueter aigentich gstallt Wie sy Im agosto 1542 M. Schubart, ‘Drei Augsburger Portraitmedaillen: Zurich, 1969, pp. 10-11, under no. 2. J. C. Ebbinge-
Das ist 10 Monat nachdem ich geborn gewöst, Matthäus Schwarz, 1527, 1550. Veit Conrad Wubben, C. Salm, C. Sterling and T. Heinemann,
gesechen hat, abcontrofact durch Jheremias Schwarz, 1563’, in Zeitschrift des Münchner Sammlung Thyssen-Bornemisza, Zurich, 1971, pp.
Schemel von ainer tafel die der allt Christoff Altertumsvereins, VII, 1895, pp. 14-16, note 1. 10-13, under no. 2.
amberger damalls gemallt hat - Si was Dismalls allt Von Fels zum Meer, 1895, p. 538. D. Koepplin and T. Falk, Cranach: Gemälde,
35 Iar Krad’. ‘Veiling Schubart’, review, clipping in an RKD Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik, Basel and Stuttgart,
E. C. Richard, Matthäus und Veit Konrad Schwarz, catalogue of the 1899 sale (Lugt 57500), under nos. 1976, II, pp. 723-4, no. 656, and supplement
nach ihren merkwürdigsten Lebensumständen und 2 and 3. ‘Vorläufges Verzeichnis der im 2. Band
vielfältig abwechselden Kleidertrachten, Magdeburg, M. J. Friedländer, ‘Amberger, Christoph’, in U. katalogisierten und in Auswahl abgebildeten
1786, pp. 17 and 18. Thieme, F. Becker and H. Vollmer, eds., Allgemeines Ausstellungobjekte’, p. 23, no. 656.
P. von Stetten the Younger, Kunst Gewerbe und Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur K. Löcher, in Die Welt in Umbruch: Augsburg
Handwerks-Geschichte der Reichs-Stadt Augsburg, Gegenwart, I, 1907, p. 388. zwischen Renaissance und Barock, Augsburg, 1980,
Augsburg, 1788, I, p. 295, II, pp. 257-258. G. Bezold, ‘Beiträge zur Geschichte des II: Rathaus, pp. 23-30 and 107, no. 457, pl. 11.
J. G. von Quandt, Verzeichniss von Gemälden und Bildnisses’, Mitteilungen aus dem Germanischen K. Löcher, ‘Christoph Amberger’, in Die Welt in
anderen Kunstgegenständen im Hause des J. G.v. Nationalmuseum Nürnburg, 1920-1921, pp. 46-101. Umbruch: Augsburg zwischen Renaissance und
Quandt zu Dresden, Dresden, 1824. E. Auerbach, Die deutsche Bildnismalerei im 16. Barock, Augsburg, 1981, III: Beiträge, pp. 136ff., no.
W. Engelmann and A. Woltmann, ‘Amberger, Jahrhundert in Franken, Schwaben und Bayern, Ph.D. 4.
Christoph: Die Werke des Meisters’, in Allgemeines dissertation, Frankfurt am Main, 1925, p. 24. G. Goldberg, ‘Old Masters from the German
Künstler-Lexikon, I, 1872, p. 602, no. 8. F. Weigl, Christoph Amberger, ein mittelalterlicher School’, Apollo, CXVIII, July 1983, p. 35, as in the
A. von Zahn, ‘Zwei Bildnisse von Christoph Maler oberpfälzisch-Ambergischer Abstammung, ‘Detroit Museum’.
Amberger und die Trachtenbücher der beiden Amberg i. d. Oberpfalz, 1926. C. Pirovano, ed., Paris Bordone, Milan, 1984, p. 70.
Schwartz, Vater und Sohn, von Augsburg’, Zahns L. von Baldass, ‘Studien zur Augsburger Meisterwerke des 15.-20. Jahrhunderts aus der
Jahrbücher für Kunstwissenschaft, IV, 1871, pp. 127- Porträtmalerei des 16. Jahrhunderts’, III: ‘Christoph Sammlung von Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza,
34. Amberger als Bildnismaler’, Pantheon, IX, 1932, pp. Budapest, 1985, pp. 36-38, 141.
A. Woltmann, ‘Christoph Amberger’, Kunstchronik: 178 and 182. K. Löcher, ‘Bildnismalerei des späten Mittelalters
Beiblatt zur Zeitschrift für bildende Kunst, IX, 1874, S. Flamand-Christensen, Die männliche Kleidung und der Renaissance in Deutschland’, in I. Lübbeke
col. 191, p. 601, no. 8. in der süddeutschen Renaissance, Berlin, 1934, pp. and B. Bushart, eds., Altdeutsche Bilder der
A. Woltmann, ‘Christoph Amberger’, Die Wartburg, 9-10. Sammlung Georg Schäfer, Schweinfurt, 1985, pp. 31
IX, 1874, pp. 151-153, no. 8. A. Carfax, ‘Treasures of the Leopold Hirsch and 48.
A. Woltmann and K. Woermann, eds., Geschichte Collections’, Connoisseur, March 1934, pp. 182-184, K. Löcher, in Allgemeines Künstlerlexicon: Die
der Malerei, II: Die Malerei der Renaissance, Leipzig, illustrated. bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker, II, Leipzig,
1882, p. 453. H. Leporini, ‘Rundschau’, Pantheon, XIII, 1934, no. 1986, p. 585.
A. Bredius, ‘Die Auktion von Friesen und die 1, pp. 125-126. W. R. Deusch, Deutsche Malerei des B. Yamey, Arte e contabilità, Bologna, 1986, p. 65.
neuesten Ankäufe der Kölner Gemäldegalerie’, 16. Jahrhunderts, Berlin, 1935, p. 22, fg. 87. Old Masters Paintings from Thyssen-Bornemisza
Kunstchronik: Beiblatt zur Zeitschrift für bildende C. L. Kuhn, A Catalogue of German Paintings of the Collection, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, 1987, pp.
Kunst, XX, 1885, col. 501. Middle Ages and Renaissance in American Collections, 48-49 and 101-102.
H. Janitschek, Geshichte der deutschen Kunst, III: Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1936, p. 68, no. 288, Maestros Antiguos de la Colección Thyssen-
Geschichte der deutschen Malerei, Berlin, 1889, p. pl. 58. Bornemisza, Madrid, 1987, pp. 64-67.
433. ‘Notable Works of Art now on the Market’, The C. de Watteville, Collezione Thyssen-Bornemisza:
C. Hofstede de Groot, Sammlung Schubart, Früher Burlington Magazine, LXXI, 1937, supplement, pl. guida alle opere esposte, Milan, 1989, p. 13.
Dresden jetzt München: Eine Auswahl von Werken 13. I. Lübbeke and M. Thomas Will, The Thyssen-
alter Meister, Munich, s.d. [1894], I, p. 1 and 51. R. Heinemann, Sammlung Schloss Rohoncz, Zurich, Bornemisza Collection: Early German Painting, 1350-
T. von Frimmel, ‘Die Galerie Schubart in München’, 1937, pp. 2-3, under no. 6. 1550, 1991, pp. 41-43, under no. 2, fg. 3.
Zeitschrift für bildende Kunst, V, 1894, pp. 216 and H. W. Singer, Neuer Bildniskatalog, Leipzig, IV, 1938, K. Löcher, ‘Amberger, Christoph’, in Künstler-
218. p. 230, no. 32649. Lexikon, III, 1992, p. 123.
E. Haasler, Der Maler Christoph Amberger von P. Wescher, Grosskaufeute der Renaissance, Basel, F. Elsig, ‘Christoph Amberger Portrait von Barbara
Augsburg, Ph.D. dissertation, 1893, pp. 83-86 and 1941, pp. 113 and 185. Schwarz’, in K. Meissner, Gemälde und Zeichnungen
129, no. 23. N. Lieb, Die Fugger und die Kunst im Zeitalter der aus sechzig Jahren Kunsthandel, Zurich, 2003, pp.
M. Schubart, ‘Christoph Ambergers Bildnisse de hohen Renaissance, (Studien zur Fuggergeschichte, 112-113.
Matheus und der Barbara Schwartz von Augsburg. XIV), Munich, 1958, pp. 88 and 376ff. A. Kranz, Christoph Amberger: Bildnismaler zu
1542. Vorlag, gehalten am 30. April 1894 im A. Fink, Die Schwarzschen Trachtenbücher, Berlin, Augsburg, Regensburg, 2004, pp. 319-27, no. 34
Münchner Alterthumsverein’, Zeitschrift des 1963, pp. 15, 62, 168 and 186, fg. 6. and under no. 33, fg. 75.
Münchener Altertumsvereins, VI, 1894, pp. 1-5. K. Löcher, ‘Studien zur oberdeutschen U. Rublack, Dressing Up. Cultural Identity in
Renaissance Europe, Oxford, 2010, p. 64.

174
 (fg. 1) Christoph Amberger, Portrait of Matthäus Schwarz, Museo
Thyssen-Bornemisza / Scala / Art Resource, NY.

P ainted in 1542, this beautifully preserved Portrait of Barbara

Schwarz is among the most signifcant surviving works
by the German Renaissance artist, Christoph Amberger, the
entrusted with the restoration of Titian’s renowned equestrian
Portrait of Emperor Charles V at the Battle of Mqhlberg, now in the
Prado, Madrid. He also seems to have been perceived by his
leading portraitist of the patrician classes in 16th-century more enlightened patrons as a humanist artist in the Vasarian
Augsburg. One of the major masters of the International mode—whose genius for disegno could fnd application in
courtly portrait style prevailing at the time, Amberger, like his any art—as suggested by his having been commissioned by
near contemporary Hans Holbein, belongs to the generation of King Ferdinand (subsequently Emperor Ferdinand I) to design
artists following that of Albrecht Dürer. Precious little is known ancestral fgures for the Tomb of Emperor Maximilian I (drawings,
about his origins or early career. He is thought to have trained Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek; statue of King
in Augsburg—then one of the most economically powerful and Clovis, bronze, Innsbruck, Hofkirche). Amberger’s Italianate
artistically productive cities in Germany—with the manuscript and humanist reputation in no way lessened his status as the
illuminator and painter Leonhard Beck, whose daughter he leading heir to the local traditions of the Augsburg School:
later married. Between c. 1525-27, Amberger traveled to Italy, Holbein had left the city, and by 1532 was employed at the
where in Venice the portraits of Titian profoundly infuenced court of King Henry VIII in England, leaving Amberger in an
his work, of which an early example is the Portrait of Anton uncontested position.
Welser of 1527 (private collection). Painted at the zenith of Amberger’s career, The Portrait of
After his return to Germany, Amberger was accepted as a Barbara Schwarz has as its pendant the portrait of her husband,
master of the Augsburg guild, and in 1530 was commissioned Matthäus Schwarz (fg. 1). Just months after his own likeness
to paint the portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, was fnished, Matthäus commissioned Amberger to execute
who, according to Joachim von Sandrart, praised the resulting his wife’s portrait to commemorate her 35th birthday, of
likeness (J. von Sandrart, Teutsche Academie, 1675-1679, 1925, which the date, 21 August 1542, is inscribed at upper right.
pp. 80-81, 332). Amberger soon became the preferred portraitist Matthäus Schwarz (1497-c.1574) was an extraordinary fgure
of the Augsburg elite, and by the 1540s counted among his of the Augsburg Renaissance: a humanist, mathematician and
prominent patrons the mighty Fugger family, then the premier early economist, who also served as chief accountant and head
bankers of Europe, and by some accounts the richest family in of the central offce for the Fugger merchant house. Schwarz
the world (see G. Ogger, Kauf dir einen Kaiser: Die Geschichte belonged to an illustrious and cultivated Augsburg family of
der Fugger, Munich, 1978). Amberger’s status was such that merchants and public offcials; his father, Ulrich, had been a
during the Imperial Diet held in Augsburg in 1548, he was patron of Hans Holbein the Elder.

175
 Like Amberger, Matthäus had traveled to Italy, working for by a detailed description of the costume, which we learn was
Antonio Mirafori in Venice, and was the frst to introduce made of the fnest and most expensive Arras silk. Until their
double-entry bookkeeping—one of the innovations of the old reappearance in the collection of Johann Gottlob von Quandt
Medici bank —north of the Alps. A prolifc writer, Schwarz in the mid-19th century, the painted portraits of Matthäus
authored treatises on subjects ranging from proto-economics to and Barbara Schwarz were only known from this manuscript,
everyday life in 16th-century Europe. His wife, Barbara, née which by the 1780s had entered the Herzog Anton Ulrich-
Mangold, was the daughter of a high-ranking offcer in the Museum in Brunswick, where it serves today as a major
Fugger empire, the Swabian Anton Mangold. Their marriage, source for historians of Renaissance costume (see A. Fink, Die
which took place in 1538, was in some sense contracted Schwarzschen Trachtenbücher, Berlin, 1963, op. cit.).
‘within’ the Fugger house, and served to cement their position Matthäus’s interest in contemporary fashion was surely shared
within a tight-knit network of business and family relationships, by his wife, whose costume is here rendered with the meticulous
of which Amberger was the preferred portraitist. attention to minute detail and skill at portraying textures for
Among the most fascinating of Schwarz’s writings is which Amberger’s portraits were prized. While restrained in
his Klaidungsbüch, or Book of Clothes, an autobiographical coloring as befts the dutiful wife of a respected burgher, her
manuscript which traces his life through the clothes he wore clothing reveals its costliness in the rich embroidery, elaborate
on important occasions, with watercolor illustrations executed lacework, and the shimmering black silk of the voluminous
by the miniaturist Narziss Renner and Amberger himself. sleeves. Around her waist is a girdle fashioned from silver
Image after image shows Schwarz as a fashionable dandy, wire, to which is attached an elaborate tassel in the form of a
accompanied by a meticulous explication of each costume. In decorative fnial. Its exquisite refnement not only refects the
1561, the year after Matthäus concluded his Book of Clothes, his fne craftsmanship for which Augsburg’s silver and goldsmiths
son, Veit Conrad Schwarz, began his own, modeled upon his were renowned, but also underscores the sitter’s wealth and
father’s. Veit Conrad’s book begins with portraits of his parents good taste.
near the time of his birth, both of which are based on the As in the pendant portrait of Matthäus, an astrological
painted pendant pair by Amberger. Barbara Schwarz is shown horoscope is included at upper right, consisting of a diagram
as she is in the present portrait, although the artist—Jeremias showing the position of the stars at the time of the sitter’s birth
Schemel, probably a pupil of Amberger’s—has converted her on 21 August 1501 (fg. 2). As a mathematician, Matthäus
into a full-length fgure set in within an interior. Like all of would have doubtless been fascinated by astrology, a calculatory
the illustrations in the two books, the image is accompanied practice based on geometry, proportion and observation.

(detail of the present lot)

176
 (fg. 2) horoscopic star chart of Barbara Schwarz.

Although the precise meaning of the horoscope is lost, it is thought to have been
based on the Ephemeriden of Regiomontanus, one of the earliest tabulations of the
positions of the heavenly bodies, frst published in Nuremberg in 1474 (see E. Zinner
Bamberg cited in Ebbinge-Wubben op. cit.., pp. 12-13, and Kranz, op. cit., p. 41
note 13). While astrology had a wide appeal in 16th-century Europe, references to it
seldom appear in portraiture. The portraits of Matthäus and Barbara Amberger thus
provide a rare and fascinating glimpse into the zeitgeist of the era.
The Schwarz portraits remained together for centuries, passing through a number
of distinguished German collections, including those of Johann Gottlob von Quandt
(1787-1859), the Dresden connoisseur, pioneering art historian and friend of Goethe,
and Richard Freiherr von Friesen (1808-1884), a Saxon Minister of the Interior,
Finance, and Foreign Affairs. They were last displayed as pendants in the early 20th
century at the Kensington Palace Gardens home of the London fnancier, Leopold
Hirsch (1857-1932). At the sale of his collection at Christie’s in 1934, the portraits
were purchased by separate dealers. The Portrait of Matthäus Schwarz was subsequently
acquired by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, whose collection included
masterpieces of Italian, German, and Netherlandish art, such as Hans Holbein the
Younger’s Portrait of Henry VIII, Albrecht Dürer’s Christ Among the Doctors, and Jan
van Eyck’s Annunciation. Upon the Baron’s death in 1947, the Portrait of Matthäus
Schwarz was inherited by his son, Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, and is
now preserved in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.
We are grateful to Professor Ulinka Rublack of Cambridge University and Professor
Maria Hayward of the University of Southampton for providing information about
the sitter’s costume.

177
 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

164
LUCAS CRANACH I
(Kronach 1472-1553 Weimar)

Landscape with a tree and a fortress on a rocky cliff - a fragment

oil on panel
17 x 10√ in. (43.2 x 27.6 cm.)

$1,000,000-1,500,000
£670,000-1,000,000
€750,000-1,100,000

PROVENANCE:
Jenny Klever collection, Leverkusen.
Anonymous sale; Lempertz, Cologne, 10 December
1990, lot 22.
A beautiful survivor, this fragment offers an unparalleled focus on one of Cranach’s
most important contributions to the history of western art: his pioneering
approach to landscape painting. A member of the so-called Danube School during
Acquired by the present owner in 1990. his formative years traveling in the Viennese region, Cranach, along with Albrecht
Altdorfer and Wolfgang Huber, developed a novel approach to nature: far from
EXHIBITED:
straightforward naturalistic renditions, these artists emphasized nature’s mystery and
Frankfurt, Städel Museum, Cranach der Ältere, 23
November 2007-17 February 2008, pp. 112-13, no. 1 inherent expressive possibilities. More than serving merely as appealing background
(entry by B. Brinkmann and G. Dette). settings, the dense forests and craggy mountainous sceneries took center stage.
Throughout his career, Cranach would continue to give prominence to his evocative
depictions of nature. This panel, datable to c. 1525-1530, at a time when the artist
was already well-established at the court of the Duke of Saxony Frederick the Wise in
Wittenberg, testifes to his sustained and highly personal interest in the natural world.
To the left of the panel, a slender tree is silhouetted against a delicate sky at dusk,
bathed in a subdued declining light achieved by subtle gradations of tonalities typical
of the master. The intricate network of branches and leaves creates a decorative,
almost abstract pattern of lines and forms, of which the overall shape complements
that of the rock formation beyond. This promontory is topped by an imposing fortress
whose tower overlooks the calm, refective pond below and the minutely painted city
in the valley to the left, with its imposing gate and Gothic church. A sinuous path
leads the eye from the foreground up to the fortress, and then back down to the city,
which a man approaches on horseback. In the distance, more fanciful hills and ideal
cities alternate.
The painting is likely to have been part of one of Cranach’s numerous outdoor
scenes, such as a Madonna and Child in a landscape or a St. Jerome in the Wilderness.
It might also have provided the view from an open window in a large interior scene
as seen, for instance, in the wings of the Triptych of Holy Kinship (Frankfurt, Städel
Museum), or a portrait.
Though its fragmentary condition may seem regrettable to some, this poetic and
beautifully preserved landscape has been praised by Bodo Brinkmann and Gabriel
Dette as offering the viewer in its reduced scale ‘a complete guide to the fnesse of
Cranach’s landscape art’ (loc. cit.).

178
179
 PROPERTY OF A LADY

165
LUCAS CRANACH I (Kronach 1472-1553 Weimar)
and LUCAS CRANACH II (Wittenberg 1515-1586 Weimar)
Law and Grace
signed with the artist’s serpent device and dated ‘1536’ (lower right, on the rock),
and extensively inscribed.
oil, gold and paper on panel, transferred on panel
25Ω x 47Ω (64.8 x 120.6 cm.)

$1,500,000-2,500,000
£1,000,000-1,700,000
€1,200,000-1,900,000

U nknown to scholars since it appeared at auction over 100 years ago, this striking
painting is among the most important images of the Protestant Reformation.
Painted in 1536, the panel illustrates Martin Luther’s doctrine of justifcation by
PROVENANCE:
Anonymous sale; Helbing, Munich, 20 June faith with explanatory passages from a German translation of the bible written on
1907, lot 2 (according to a fle in the Witt Archive, papers affxed to its lower and upper edges. With its vivid, jewel-toned palette,
Courtauld Institute).
deep, panoramic landscapes, and expressive fgures, Law and Grace exhibits all of the
stylistic hallmarks that placed Lucas Cranach at the forefront of artistic innovation in
16th-century Europe.
Lucas Cranach the Elder, his sons and their workshop created many versions of this
subject in a variety of media, including paintings, drawings and prints. Each of the
painted versions is unique, showing distinctive variations in composition, fgural poses
and physiognomies. The two earliest treatments of Law and Grace are both signed
and dated 1529, and were painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder with some workshop
participation. Closest to the present work is that in the Schlossmuseum, Gotha, while
the other panel, now in Prague’s National Gallery, has a slightly different composition.
Although the original patrons for these two paintings remain unknown, it is likely that
their programs were formulated with the guidance of Martin Luther (1483-1546) and
his collaborator, the theologian Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560). Two pen and ink
drawings, each also datable to 1529 (Dresden Kupferstichkabinett and Stadelmuseum,
Frankfurt) and a woodcut of 1530 (British Museum, London) are clearly are based on
the Gotha painting, which would become the prototype for all subsequent treatments
of this theme by the Cranachs.
The message of Law and Grace is rooted in the theological principles of Martin
Luther, as set forth in his Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians (published
in 1535, but based on lectures given as early as 1519; see J. Dillenberger, Images and
Relics: Theological Perceptions and Visual Images in Sixteenth-Century Europe, Oxford,
1999, p. 96). In the tract, the German reformer asserted that Christian salvation is not
dependent on human actions, i.e., “good works”, but rather on undeserved divine
Grace freely given by God. Charity, penance, purchasing of indulgences or any mortal
acts are ultimately ineffectual: mankind’s sole path to heaven is through faith and
God’s grace. In Luther’s words: “By faith alone can we become righteous, for faith
invests us with the sinlessness of Christ. The more fully we believe this, the fuller will
be our joy.” (M. Luther, Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, trans. T.
Graebner, Grand Rapids, 1941, chapter 1, verse 13; see also B. Noble, Lucas Cranach
the Elder: Art and Devotion of the German Reformation, p. 35 ff.).
Lucas Cranach’s relationship with Martin Luther is well documented. As court
(detail of signature, present lot) painter in Wittenberg, Cranach found himself at the very center of the Protestant
Reformation. His most important patrons, the Saxon Electors, protected Luther and
championed his cause. Cranach was destined to become the de facto offcial portraitist

180
181
 of the Reformer (fg. 1) and would also provide illustrations toward a fery pit flled with tortured souls. The text beneath the
for Luther’s translation of the New Testament, the September fames indicates that eternal damnation is man’s inevitable fate
Bible. The two were also close personal friends and godfathers under the old religious construct: ‘Sie seindt Alle zumall Sünder
to each other’s children. Cranach even introduced Luther to / und manglen das sie sich Gottes / nicht Röhmen Mögen
his wife, Katharina von Bora, and later served as witness at Rom . 3 . / Capital’ (‘for all have sinned and fall short of the
their wedding. Like his father, Lucas Cranach the Younger was glory of God’ Romans 3: 23). The skeleton holds a lance, the
a strong supporter of the Reformation, and would eventually “sting” of death alluded to in the quotation from Corinthians:
marry Melanchthon’s niece, Magdalena Schurff. ‘Die Sünde ist des Todtes Spies / das Gesetz ist der Sünde Kräf
Unlike some of his contemporary reformers, Martin Luther / . 1. Cor . 15 . Das gesetz Richtet nur / Zorn an. Rom. 4.
was not opposed to the use of images to educate the faithful Cap.’ (‘The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law’
and clarify scripture. While stressing that art should not be 1 Corinthians 15: 56; ‘The law brings only wrath’ Romans 4:
confused with idolatry, he rejected Iconoclasm. Designed to 15). To the right, Moses - identifable by his stone tablets - and
communicate Reformation ideas in clear terms accessible to other Old Testament prophets gather to converse: ‘Durch das
all, Law and Grace is among the most signifcant surviving gezestz kompt erkentnus der / Sünde . Rom . 3. Das gesetz und
pictures conforming to Luther’s vision of art as a vehicle for alle pro / pheten gehen bis auff Johanni Zeit. / Mathei . am.
instruction. The left side of the panel represents the Catholic 11 . Capitel.’ (‘through the law we become conscious of sin’
understanding of God’s divine judgment and punishment for Romans 3: 20; ‘all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until
sin. The right side, by contrast, shows God’s Grace extended John’; Matthew 11: 13). The panel is divided by a single central
directly to mankind without intermediaries such as the Church, tree, its branches bare on the left side and full of leaves on the
indulgences, or even the sacrifce of the Mass. Documentary right, alluding to the distinction between Death and Life, Old
evidence suggests that Philipp Melanchthon (fg. 2) advised and New, or Wrong and Right.
Lucas Cranach on the selection of the accompanying passages, The images to the right of the tree introduce the viewer to
all but one of which were taken from the New Testament, the true path to Salvation as advocated by Luther. Once again,
specifcally Romans, Corinthians, and the Gospels of Matthew Mankind appears wearing only a loincloth. Here, he stands next
and John (see B. Noble, op. cit., pp. 40-41). to John the Baptist, who shows the way Salvation by pointing
On the left, Christ appears seated on an orb surrounded by a toward the crucifed Christ. Whereas on the left, Mankind is
cloud nimbus populated with cherubs. Two angels play horns, represented as the frightened sinner, here he is the righteous
referencing the Last Judgment. Following traditional Christian believer, clasping his hands in prayer as he gazes upon Jesus.
iconography, Christ raises his left hand and lowers his right, Below, the text explains: ‘Der gerechte Lebet seines glaubens /
simultaneously directing souls up toward Heaven and casting Rom . 1. wir halten das der Mensch ge / recht werdte Durch
them down into Hell. Below, Adam takes the fruit from Eve den gläben Ohn des / gesetzes wercke . Rom. 3. Cap.’ (‘The
in front of the Tree of Knowledge, signifying Original Sin. righteous will live by faith’ Romans 1: 17; ‘For we maintain
The accompanying text underscores these themes: ‘. 1 . Rom that a man is justifed by faith apart from observing the law’
. 1 Es wirdt Offenbahret / Gottes Zorn Vom himmel über / Romans 3: 28). Blood fows from Christ’s wound directly onto
aller Menschen Gottlos wesen und / . Unrecht .’ (‘The wrath Mankind’s chest, carrying with it a white dove symbolizing the
of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness Holy Spirit. At Jesus’s feet is a lamb bearing a white banner with
and wickedness of men’ Romans 1: 18). Below in the a red cross. This iconography is clarifed in the text below: ‘Sihe
foreground, a bearded man signifying Everyman, or Mankind, das ist Gottes Lamb das der Weltt / sünde tregt Ioh . 1. in der
is chased down a stony path by a monstrous devil and a skeleton heilichung des / geistes und bespangung das bluets Jesu / Christe
in der . i . Petri . am . i . Capit .’ (‘Look, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world!’ John 1: 29; ‘through the
sanctifying work of the Spirit, [for obedience] to Jesus Christ
and sprinkling by his blood’ 1 Peter 1: 2 (referencing the quote
from 1 Peter).
In the background is a vignette depicting the Old Testament
story of Moses and the Brazen Serpent. Often seen as a
prefguration of the Crucifxion, this event is recounted in
Numbers 21: 4-9, which relates how while wandering through
the desert, the Jews began to doubt God, for which he punished
them with a plague of fery, poisonous serpents. After the Jews
repented, God instructed Moses to erect a bronze effgy of a
serpent upon a pole and to set it ablaze. Once the afficted cast
their eyes on the bronze sculpture, they were cured. Notably,
the Brazen Serpent appears on the left “Law” side in both the
(fg. 1) Lucas Cranach I, Portrait of Martin (fg. 2) Workshop of Lucas Cranach I, Gotha and Prague paintings, but in all subsequent versions it
Luther, half-length, in black, Christie’s, Philipp Melanchthon, Rijksmuseum,
London, 3 July 2012, lot 4.
appears on the right. It was probably moved to the “Grace”
Amsterdam.

182
side at the suggestion of Luther or Melanchthon
due to its association with the notion of Salvation
through Faith, despite its traditional pairing with
scenes of the Last Judgment (see D. Ehresmann,
‘The Brazen Serpent: A Reformation Motif in
the Works of Lucas Cranach the Elder and His
Workshop’, Marsyas, XII, 1967, 32-47).
On the far right, Christ appears triumphant
before his empty tomb following his Resurrection.
He spears the devil and Death with a beautifully-
rendered rock crystal staff, also bearing a fag. As
the nearby text explains, with faith, Mankind
no longer needs to fear death: ‘Der Todt ist
verschlungen in dem Sig Gott / aber seij danckh
der uns den sig gegeben hatt / durch JESUM
Christum Unsern / Heren. in der ersten .
Corenter . / . am . 15 . Capitel .’ (‘Death has been
swallowed up in victory’ 1 Corinthians 15: 55;
‘But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 1 Corinthians
57]. In the upper right, the Virgin Mary appears
atop a verdant hill, receiving the message of
Christ’s Incarnation as an infant holding a cross
fies toward her. Between them, shepherds are
shown in a feld, receiving the news of the
Savior’s birth. These three events are linked to
the fnal caption, which is the only passage from
the Old Testament: ‘. II . Esai . IIII Cap . der.
Der s wirdt euch / Selbs ein Zeichen geben Sihe
ein Jung”/ frauw wirdt Schwanger Werden und
/ einen Sohn gebehren’ (‘Therefore the Lord
himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son’ Isaiah 7:
14].
Cranach organized his fgures into distinct
vignettes to ensure the narrative’s legibility, and
also heightened their immediacy by situating
them in familiar Germanic landscapes. Described
with a subtle use of atmospheric perspective, the
snow-covered mountains and lush greenery in
the backgrounds are representative of works from
the Danube River School, an artistic movement
of which Cranach was a key innovator.
Dieter Koepplin (written communication,
20 September 2013) and Werner Schade (oral
communication, 9 October 2013) have identifed
this panel, on the basis of photographs, as
the work of Lucas Cranach the Elder. Both
scholars have noted that some areas, such as
the backgrounds in the upper sections of the
composition, appear to have been painted by
members of the Cranach workshop, among
them, as Koepplin has suggested, Lucas Cranach
the Younger, who would have been only 21
years old in 1536, the year the present picture
was painted.

183
 THE AGE OF VASARI

Raphael, School of Athens, from the Stanza della Segnatura / Vatican Museums and Galleries, Vatican City / Giraudon / The Bridgeman Art Library.

T he Age of Vasari is a useful if broad catch phrase for the period in Italian art from
c. 1520-1580, when the so called Mannerist style, as developed in Florence and
Rome in painting, sculpture, and architecture, was diffused throughout Italy and all
Europe. Vasari, born in Arezzo in Tuscany, was himself a leading Mannerist painter,
but is best known for his great biographical work, the Lives of the Artists, in which
he chronicles the careers of Italian masters past and present in unprecedented depth,
anticipating modern art history. According to Vasari, the arts in Italy had evolved
to perfection in the work of Michelangelo, and the High Renaissance of the early

184
Cinquecento, dominated by Raphael and Leonardo as well
as Michelangelo, still seems from today’s perspective to have
achieved exemplary harmony in an Italy otherwise beset by
political strife and foreign incursions. Indeed Raphael’s fresco of
The School of Athens in the Vatican (1509-1510; fg. 1), though
the philosophers are Greek, evokes in monumental form the
stability of a long-vanished Roman imperium that had lasted
well over a millennium. But just as the Roman Empire was
undermined by internal disruption, so the High Renaissance
point of balance was not destined to last. Indeed the seeds of
change were already present in one of its greatest achievements,
the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (fg. 2). Here the energetic and
complex body language and the bright aggressive color contrasts
adumbrate the more restless style of the next generation where
sophisticated artifce and virtuosity were prized over naturalism,
and abstruse compositions and subject matter were preferred to
narrative clarity.
In Rome, all the arts were dominated by the juggernaut
fgure of Michelangelo. To imitate him was not condemned
as uncreative eclecticism but honored as appropriate homage
to an unsurpassable exemplar. In Michelangelo’s Last Judgment,
completed in 1541, the whole company, both damned and
elect, seem weighed down by the gross physicality of the (fg. 2) Michelangelo Buonarroti, Sistine Chapel Ceiling: Libyan Sibyl / Vatican
human condition. We live in a world of sin and can only Museums and Galleries, Vatican City / Alinari / The Bridgeman Art Library.
be saved by divine fat. The helplessness of man in the face
of the Almighty is a somewhat Protestant concept from a
Roman point of view, so the Last Judgment, also criticized for
indecorous nudity, excited unease as well as reverence and awe.
In Florence, the other principle fount of the Mannerist style,
Michelangelo’s unsettling infuence was also pervasive and in
a masterpiece of the frst generation of Florentine Mannerism,
Pontormo’s Deposition (fg. 3) of 1528, the Christ immediately
recalls Michelangelo’s canonical sculpture of the Pietà in Saint
Peter’s. The balletic grace of the fgures, the pale surreal colors
and the trance-like but very dead Christ with leaden eyelids
and lips, conjure up a dreamlike atmosphere from which
the anthropo-centric certainties of Renaissance humanism
have been banished in favor of something approaching the
transcendental Christianity of Byzantium and Hagia Sofa.
In the Deposition by Rosso (fg. 4), the other great master of
this generation of Mannerism in Florence, there is by contrast
something devilish and infernal in the vicious angular poses,
the razor-sharp draperies, and the aggressive Michelangelesque
colors which evoke the dismal agony of earthly grief rather than
the otherworldly promise of redemption in the Pontormo.
In the group of paintings on offer, the infuence of Rosso
is clearly apparent in the confrontational and angular Madonna
and Child by Carlo Portelli and that of Pontormo in the balletic
grace of Mirabello Cavalori’s Entombment. In the latter, form
dominates content in a typical display of Mannerist complexity,
and the subject matter is swamped by the graceful drift of
the fgures. The same sort of effect can be seen in a fresco by
Bronzino, Pontormo’s pupil, of the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
(fg. 5) in the eponymous church in Florence where the saint
on the grill is overwhelmed by the other fgures in a riot of
(fg. 3) Jacopo Pontormo, The Deposition of Christ / Capponi Chapel, Santa Felicita,
Florence, Italy / The Bridgeman Art Library.
athletic visual gymnastics.

185
 At the height of the age of Vasari, in the mid-16th century,
Rome was fully theocratic under a papacy enriched by tribute
from all over Europe and the New World. In Florence, the
rule of the Medici was less oligarchic than in times past and
frmly autocratic under the Grand Duke Cosimo, who came to
power in 1537. The Medici had risen to prominence through
the wool trade and banking, and gilded the lily by magnifcent
patronage of the arts. They had their ups and downs, including
periods of exile, but by the end of the 16th century, were
secure in the European political pantheon, furnishing four
popes and two Queens of France. The court of Cosimo was
conspicuously splendid but he could never have survived
without the backing of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and
predominant power in Italy. His glittering court will be forever
identifed with the cold elegance of Bronzino’s portraits, which
are raised to greatness by a hint of the tensions burgeoning
beneath the (fg. 1) polished carapace of 16th-century high life.
Bronzino rated as a portrait specialist but his master Pontormo
painted portraits on a more occasional basis. His portrait of
Cosimo shortly after his accession forms a remarkable contrast
with his Getty Halberdier (fg. 6), thought by some to represent
an idealized, adolescent Cosimo, rigged out in the smartest
para-military gear, romantically defending his native city. The
work here on offer shows him in sober civilian guise but with
a sense of mastery appropriate to his aristocratic role and the
claims of the Medici to primacy. As with Velasquez’s early (fg. 4) Rosso Fiorentino, The Descent from the Cross / Pinacoteca, Volterra,
portraits of Spanish royalty, he has no need of showy costume Italy / The Bridgeman Art Library.

to demonstrate his authority.

Few people would rate Vasari himself on the same level as

Pontormo, Rosso, or Bronzino, and he never painted anything
so attractive as the luscious tapestry-like fresco decorations by
his friend Francesco Salviati. As an architect he is more original,
and his Uffzi, designed as government offces, anticipates
the 20th-century offce block in its dry, modular style.
However, as the Pietà in the present group shows, he is often a
more expressive artist than his somewhat academic reputation
suggests. Vasari was a highly infuential artistic impresario and
in 1570-1572 he helped design a key Mannerist project, the
studiolo of Francesco dei Medici (Cosimo’s successor) in the
Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. This cycle of small paintings,
inspired by Francesco’s collections of minerals and curiosities,
is the epitome of Mannerist elitism in its ultra-sophisticated
refnement and abstruse pseudo-scientifc subject matter.
Unfortunately, for the Council of Trent, established in 1545 to
reform the church in the face of the Protestant challenge, the
studiolo set a bad example. An art of greater clarity was called
for, especially in religious paintings, where the message and
stories of the scripture could be more accessible to the layman.
Inevitably the Tridentine mandate achieved mixed results.
Religious art became easier to read but much of it was pedantic
(fg. 5) Agnolo Bronzino, The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy. and formulaic. The chief culprit here was Federico Zuccaro, the

186
doyen of late Mannerism in Italy. Zuccaro redeemed himself by
his brilliance as a draftsman but it remains a mystery why he and
his followers failed to translate the incisive virtuosity of their
drawings into the more formal medium of painting and fresco.
A more successful response to Tridentine ideals is represented
in the present group by Alessandro Allori’s Noli me tangere. Allori
was Bronzino’s adopted nephew but here he has outgrown his
Mannerist origins in favor of a much more realistic style, which
is easier to read. Typical of this new emphasis is the costume
of the Magdalen, which is not generalized like Christ’s but
based on contemporary fashion. On close inspection, Christ’s
right arm is unusually long and his hands, like the Magdalen’s,
exceptionally large. This adroit exaggeration, in an age where
rhetoric still mattered, gives gesture a leading role in a way
that was soon to be spectacularly exploited by Caravaggio in
his Supper at Emmaus in London (fg. 7). In this very fne late
work, Allori has embraced the realism of the early Baroque in
a foretaste of 17th-century Baroque classicism. (fg. 6) Jacopo Pontormo, Portrait of a Halberdier / J. Paul Getty Museum, Los
Angeles / The Bridgeman Art Library.

Ian Kennedy, November 2013

(fg. 7) Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Supper at Emmaus / National Gallery, London / The Bridgeman Art Library.

187
 PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF BARBARA PIASECKA JOHNSON
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE BARBARA PIASECKA JOHNSON FOUNDATION

166
JACOPO CARUCCI, CALLED JACOPO PONTORMO
(Pontormo, near Empoli 1494-1556 Florence)

Portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519-74), half-length, in a black slashed doublet

and a plumed hat, holding a book
oil (or oil and tempera) on panel
39Ω x 30º in. (100.6 x 77 cm.)

$300,000-500,000
£200,000-330,000
€230,000-370,000

PROVENANCE: EXHIBITED: B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance.

Riccardo Romolo Riccardi (1558-1612), before 1612, Burlington House, 1888. Florentine School, London, 1963, I, p. 181.
Florence, and thence by descent until at least 1814. Houston, Allied Arts Association, Masterpieces of K.W. Forster, ‘Probleme um Pontormos
Charles T.D. Crews, London; (†), Christie’s, London, Painting through Six Centuries, 16-27 November Porträtmalerei (I)’, Pantheon, XXII, 1964, p. 380, as
2 July 1915, lot 144, as Bronzino, where acquired by 1952. by workshop of Bronzino, datable to c. 1540-41.
the following. Baltimore, Museum of Art, Bacchiacca and His L. Berti, Pontormo, Florence 1964, p. 101.
with Pawsey & Payne, London. Friends: Florentine Paintings and Drawings of the R.B. Simon, Bronzino’s Portraits of Cosimo I de’
Sir Thomas Merton, Winforton House, Hereford Sixteenth Century, 10 January-19 February, 1961, Medici, Ph.D., Columbia University, 1982, pp. 181-
(according to Witt Library Mount). no. 56. 187, 343, as close to Pontormo.
with F.A. Drey, London. Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Style, P. Costamagna and A. Fabre, Les portraits forentins
Lord Burton, England. Truth, and The Portrait, 1 October-10 November du début du XVI siècle à l’avènement de Cosimo I:
with Wildenstein & Co., New York, by 1952, from 1963, no. 2. catalogue raisonné d’Albertinelli à Pontormo, II, Paris
whom acquired in 1980 by the present owner. Florence, Uffzi, L’offcina della maniera, 18 1986, pp. 384-388, no. 98.
September 1996-6 January 1997, no. 380. J. Cox-Rearick, ‘The Infuence of Pontormo’s
Portrait’, in Christie’s sale catalogue, New York,
LITERATURE: 31 May 1989.
MS., Archivio di Stato, Florence, Carte Riccardi, L. Berti, ‘L’ Alabardiere del Pontormo, Critica d’Arte,
fl. 258, n. 1. LVI, 1990, p. 46, as workshop of Bronzino.
MS., Archivio di Stato, Florence, Carte Riccardi, P. Costamagna, Pontormo, Milan 1994, pp. 242-
fl. 278, c. 15. 244, no. 79.
B. Berenson, I Pittori italiani del rinascimento, Milan A. Forlani Tempesti and A. Giovannetti, Pontormo,
1948, p. 272, no. 133, reproduced. Florence, 1994, p. 142, no. 48, repeats earlier
H. Keutner, “Zu einigen Bildnissen des frühen attributions.
Florentiner Manierismus,” Mitteilungen des E. Cropper, L’Offcina della Maniera, exhibition
Kunsthistorischen Instituts in Florenz, VIII, 1959, p. catalogue, Florence, Uffzi, 1996, p. 380, no. 142.
152. E. Cropper, Pontormo. Portrait of a Halberdier, Los
G. Rosenthal, ‘Bacchiacca and his friends. Angeles 1997, pp. 100-105, no. 52.
Comments on the exhibition’, The Baltimore A. Pinelli, La bellezza impure: Arte e politica nell’Italia
Museum of Art News, XXIV, no. 2, 1961, pp. 14-15, del Rinascimento, Rome 2004, p. 129.
58, no. 56. F. Russell, ‘A Portrait of a Young Man in Black by
Pontormo’, The Burlington Magazine, CL, October
2008, p. 676.

(fg. 1) Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, Cosimo I de Medici, aged 12,

1531, The Uffzi Gallery, Florence.

188
189
 (fg. 2) Agnolo Bronzino, Portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici as Orpheus, c. 1538-1840.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Gift of Mrs. John Wintersteen, 1950 /Art
Resource, NY.

T he great Florentine artist Jacopo Pontormo painted this

imposing portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici around 1537-
1538, just after he was elected Duke of Florence in January
Alla undecima lunette à lato alla porta/Un ritratto conforme agli altri
ritratti dell’altre lunette si crede di mano di Jac.o da Puntormo con
berrettino in testa, penna bianca, et arme à canto con saio dell’Ecc.mo
Duca Cosimo con ornam.to (MS., Archivio di Stato, Florence, Carte
Riccardi, fl. 258, n. 1; quoted Keutner, op. cit. p. 152).
1537 at the age of 18. A work of the artist’s mature phase,
the portrait typifes Pontormo’s approach to the genre, in The portrait was listed again in the Riccardi inventory of 1814,
which the elegantly elongated and haughtily posed sitter is in which more details about the sitter’s attributes and attire,
intensely alive as a psychological presence yet at the same time such as his “dark costume in the Spanish style” and the fact of
“hauntingly inaccessible” (Cox-Rearick, op. cit., p. 38). Shown his holding a book, are included.
in the sober dark costume in the Spanish style which Cosimo is Un quadro in cornice dorata rappresenta un ritratto di un giovane mezza
fgura in abito nero alla spagnola con spada e pennacchio bianco sul
described as wearing soon after becoming Duke (D. Mellini, cappello, tenando in mano un libro mezzo servato stima scudi sessanta
Ricordi intorno ai costumi, azioni, e governo del serenissimo gran duca (MS., Archivio di Stato, Florence, Carte Riccardi, fl. 278, c. 15; see
Costamagna, 1994, op. cit., p. 242).
Cosimo I, 1820 ed., p. 2), he stands within a palazzo fanked
by doors framed in pietra serena, the famous blue-grey stone Although Cosimo’s name is not repeated in the latter
used for architectural detailing in Renaissance Florence. His document, the identifcation of the sitter as Cosimo has been
head set high in the picture feld, the handsome young Duke endorsed by Keutner, who frst published the 1612 inventory;
stands holding a book—the attribute of the literary man in Forster (1964); Simon (1982); Cox-Rearick (1989); and
Florentine portraiture—thus embodying, as Simon has noted, Costamagna (1994). Cropper, on the other hand, has proposed
the ideal prince (Simon, op. cit., p. 183). Indeed, the book and an alternative identifcation of the sitter as the Florentine
the sword, which the sitter also bears, allude to the Neoplatonic nobleman Carlo Neroni, although no certain image of him is
notion of wisdom and power, virtues exalted as those of the known to exist (Cropper, 1996, op. cit., p. 380).
ideal prince by Castiglione in his enormously infuential Il Comparison with other portraits of Cosimo argue strongly
Cortegiano (The Book of the Courtier), published in Venice in in favor of identifying the present sitter as the newly-elected
1528 (Costamagna, 1994, op. cit., p. 243). Costamagna has Duke. Ridolfo Ghirlandaio’s Cosimo I de Medici, aged 12 of
suggested that this portrait—the only one in which the young 1531 (Florence, Uffzi; fg. 1) shows much younger Cosimo,
Cosimo is shown wearing civilian clothing—is in all probability but with a similar round face, wide eyes and small mouth.
that sent to Naples for presentation to his fanceé, Eleonora Bronzino’s allegorical portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici as Orpheus
of Toledo, in advance of their nuptials. In this instance, the of c. 1537-39 (Philadelphia Museum of Art; fg. 2), painted
present portrait might have been displayed in the palace of the around the same time as the present picture, provides clearer
Viceroy of Naples on the occasion of their proxy wedding, evidence for Cosimo’s physiognomy at this stage, which, as
which took place on 29 March 1539 (ibid.). Costamagna has observed, is very close to that of the present
The earliest secure record of this picture is found in the sitter. Although Berti pointed out that Cosimo always wore a
inventory of Riccardo Romolo Riccardi, drawn up in Florence beard after 1537 (Berti, 1990, op. cit., p. 96), the Philadelphia
in 1612, where it is described as a portrait of the Duke Cosimo picture suggests that the beard was not yet fully grown, as does
wearing a beret with white feather, sword and black garment: a sketch of the Duke, executed in 1543 by Baccio Bandinelli,

190
 (fg. 3) Agnolo Bronzino, Portrait of a Young Man, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, H. O. Havemeyer
Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929 (29.100.16). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,
NY, Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.

which shows a rather uneven beard (whereabouts unknown; see Pontormo’s portraits of the 1530s, such as the Portrait of
Costamagna, 1994, op. cit., p. 242). Alessandro de’ Medici of c. 1534-35 (Philadelphia Museum of
Although the picture was attributed to Pontormo in the Art), which shows a similar angular architectural background,
Riccardi inventory of 1612, its authorship was the subject format, and fgural proportions. As Costamagna was frst to
of some debate earlier in the last century. It was offered at suggest, Pontormo most likely re-used the cartoon for the earlier
Christie’s, London in 1915 and again in 1930 as by Bronzino, Getty picture in the genesis of the present portrait, making
an attribution also put forth by Berti in 1964, though Forster slight adjustments to the pose as the picture progressed (1994,
assigned it to Bronzino’s studio in that same year. It was op. cit., p. 242; see also Cropper, 1997, op. cit., p. 104). The
exhibited in Baltimore in 1961 as Pontormo, and published as Portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici also relates to certain of Bronzino’s
such by Berenson two years later. While Simon judged it “close” portraits, in particular, the Portrait of Ugolino Martelli of c. 1536-
to Pontormo on the basis of a photograph in 1982, Fabre and 37 (Berlin, Staatliche Museen, Gemäldegalerie), which seems
Costamagna included it as Pontormo in full in their 1986 to have inspired its architectural setting (Costamagna, 1994,
catalogue of 16th-century Florentine portraits. More recently, op. cit., p. 244). The fgure’s pose in Bronzino’s Portrait of a
Cox-Rearick, Cropper and Fahy have all decisively endorsed Young Man in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (fg.3) is in
Pontormo’s authorship. In his 1994 catalogue raisonné of turn closely based on that of Cosimo in the present portrait,
Pontormo’s paintings, Costamagna reconfrmed its autograph which Costamagna refers to as the pivotal connection (il cardine)
status, referring to it as a “splendid portrait...in which the between Pontormo’s portraits of the frst third of the century
spirit is incontestably that of Pontormo’s works...Above all, the and those of Bronzino and his school (ibid.).
modeling of the face and hands, and no less the expression of Although the history of the picture before its mention
his gaze” recall the style of the artist (ibid.). in the Riccardi inventory of 1612 has yet to be established,
Scholars have remarked on the striking similarities in format Costamagna has hypothesized that, like the Getty Halberdier and
and pose which the picture bears to Pontormo’s Portrait of a Pontormo’s Portrait of Maria Salviati with Cosimo de’ Medici as a
Halberdier in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, traditionally Baby (Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery), it might have entered
called a portrait of Cosimo de’ Medici, but recently published the collection of Ottaviano de’ Medici (1484-1546), possibly
by Cropper as possibly representing the Florentine nobleman in 1540, and later, that of his son Alessandro, who could
Francesco Guardi and datable to c. 1529-30 (see fg. 6 on p. have in turn sold the picture to the wealthy banker, Riccardo
187; Cropper, 1997, op. cit., pp. 23f.). Although she similarly Romolo Riccardi, its frst documented owner (1994, op. cit.,
dates the present picture to the end of the third decade of the p. 244). Well-established within the Medici court by the end
16th century, both circumstantial and stylistic evidence clearly of the 16th century, Riccardi was an avid collector of books,
support a dating toward the late 1530s, which the majority antiquities and Italian pictures, among them works by Raphael,
of scholars, including Forster, Simon, Costamagna, and Cox- Titian, Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo, Bronzino and Rosso
Rearick, have endorsed. Fiorentino. His collection was especially rich in portraits from
The present picture shares commonalities with other of the Medici collection: the 1612 inventory of his collection lists
“Ventidue ritratti di Casa Medici” (Keutner, op. cit., p. 151).

191
 167
MICHELE TOSINI, CALLED MICHELE
DI RIDOLFO DEL GHIRLANDAIO
(Florence 1503-1577)

The Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
oil on panel
33Ω x 27¡ in. (85.1 x 69.5 cm.)

$300,000-500,000
£200,000-330,000
€230,000-370,000

PROVENANCE:
with Victor D. Spark, New York, by 1961, from
whom purchased in 1964 by
The Columbus Museum, Columbus, Georgia;
T heatricality and a cool color palette characterize this striking portrayal of the
Madonna and Child against a mountainous landscape. By their side, a young
John the Baptist stands on a rock, wearing the camel skin tunic that he found in the
Sotheby’s, New York, 22 May 1997, lot 110. wilderness. The patron saint of Florence, John holds a makeshift cross fashioned from
slender sticks and points to Christ, evoking the words that he will preach in the desert:
EXHIBITED:
“Ecce Agnus Dei” (John 1:29). Craning her swan-like neck, Mary gazes lovingly at
Baltimore, Baltimore Museum of Art, Bacchiacca
and his Friends, 10 January-19 February 1961, p. 63, her son, whom she cradles protectively as he reaches out to bestow a blessing. His
no. 71. serious gaze is directed toward some unseen presence outside of the picture, following
a favorite Renaissance trope most famously adopted by Leonardo da Vinci in his
LITERATURE:
Lady with an Ermine (Czartoryski Museum, Kraków). Christ’s attitude suggests that
G. Coor-Achenbach, ‘Two Early Madonnas by
Michele Tosini’, The Art Quarterly, XXII, 2, Summer this panel may have originally been placed on the side wall of a chapel so that he
1959, pp. 154-159, fg. 2. would appear to be blessing a viewer standing at the chapel’s entrance. The fgures’
B.B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre- twisting poses and complex interaction lend the composition a mysterious energy that
Nineteenth Century Italian Paintings in North
is a hallmark of Florentine Mannerism, a reaction against the rational, harmoniously
American Public Collections, Cambridge, 1972,
pp. 222, 575, as Florentine, 16th century. balanced compositions of the High Renaissance.
Michele di Jacopo Tosini received his early training with Lorenzo di Credi and
Antonio del Ceraiolo, before entering the workshop of Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio
(1483-1561) around 1516. Giorgio Vasari writes in his 1568 Life of Ridolfo, David,
and Benedetto Ghirlandaio that Michele was Ridolfo’s greatest disciple and that the two
loved one another as father and son, which is why he was known always as Michele di
Ridolfo. Indeed, Michele and Ridolfo enjoyed a close working relationship for several
decades, collaborating on multiple commissions. Vasari had high praise for Michele’s
paintings, describing him as “a young man of excellent nature, who executed his
works with boldness and without effort” (G. Vasari, Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and
Architects, trans. G. du C.de Vere, New York, 1996, II, p. 483). A founding member
of the Accademia del Disegno in Florence, Michele worked with Vasari after 1556
on the fresco decorations of the Salone dei Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio,
Florence. Noting the strong infuence of Andrea del Sarto in the present painting,
Coor-Achenbach dates this Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist to
the second quarter of the 16th century (op. cit., p. 157).

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 PROPERTY SOLD TO BENEFIT THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

168
ALESSANDRO ALLORI
(Florence 1535-1607)

Laoco8n
oil on panel
28¬ x 22º in. (72.7 x 56.5 cm.)

$400,000-600,000
£270,000-400,000
€300,000-450,000

PROVENANCE:
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, New York, 14 October
1992, lot 179, as Italian School, 16th Century, where
acquired by the present owner.
O n the 14th of January, 1506, a group of ancient statues was accidentally
discovered by a farmer digging in his vineyard on the Esquiline Hill in Rome.
Pope Julius II (r. 1503-1513) was immediately notifed, and promptly sent his most
trusted expert, the architect Giuliano da Sangallo, to inspect the site. Years later, his
EXHIBITED: son Francesco da Sangallo recounted the event:
Princeton, Princeton University Art Museum,
In Celebration: Works of art from the collections of The frst time I was in Rome when I was very young, the pope was told about the discovery of some
very beautiful statues in a vineyard near S. Maria Maggiore. The pope ordered one of his offcers to
Princeton alumni and friends of the Art Museum, run and tell Giuliano da Sangallo to go and see them. He set off immediately. Since Michelangelo
Princeton University, 22 February-8 June 1997, Buonarroti was always to be found at our house, my father having summoned him and having assigned
no. 139. him the commission of the pope’s tomb, my father wanted him to come along, too. I joined up with
Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada, From Raphael my father and off we went. I climbed down to where the statues were when immediately my father said,
to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome, 29 May-7 “That is the Laocoön, which Pliny mentions.” Then they dug the hole wider so that they could pull
September 2009, no. 92 (entry by L. Feinberg). the statue out. As soon as it was visible everyone started to draw, all the while discoursing on ancient
things, chatting as well about the ones in Florence (quoted and translated in L. Barkan, Unearthing the
Past, New Haven, 1999, p. 3.)

In the 16th century, the most famous account of the tragic death of the high priest
Laocoön and his sons was Virgil’s Aeneid. The ancient Roman poet describes how
during the Trojan war the mainland Greeks, having feigned retreat, hid inside a great
wooden horse (“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!”) they had left on the battlefeld.
Suspecting treachery, Laocoön warned his fellow Trojans by shouting “Timeo Danaos
et dona ferentes!”, but was ignored. Shortly thereafter, while Laocoön was preparing
to sacrifce a bull according to his priestly duties, the gods sent two enormous serpents
from the sea to attack him and his sons. The Trojan’s interpreted Laocoön’s horrifc
death as a sign of the divine disapproval of their refusal of the Greek’s gift, and so they
brought the wooden horse into their city, leading to its sack.
The rediscovery of the Laoco8n in 1506 had a profound impact on Italian
Renaissance art. Sangallo recounts that the sculptural group was instantly recognizable
due to Pliny the Elder’s glowing description of it in his frst-century Natural History,
which at the time was considered the most important and trusted account of the lost
artistic treasures of ancient Rome. According to Pliny, the Laocoön was “a work
superior to any painting and any bronze” [Natural History 36.37]. The sculpture was
all the more praiseworthy, he continues, because it was the result of a collaboration
between three sculptors—Hagesandros, Polydorus, and Athenodorus of Rhodes—and
was carved out of a single block of marble. To Michelangelo and his fellow artists,
its reemergence must have been understood as divine providence: precisely at a time
(fg. 1) Laocoön, prior to 20th century restoration, with
extended arm (marble), Greek / Vatican Museums and
when they were striving to equal or even surpass the great achievements of their
Galleries, Vatican City / Alinari / The Bridgeman Art ancient predecessors, a fabled masterpiece literally reappeared out of the ground before
Library. their eyes. Immediately upon its discovery, Michelangelo and his companions began
to draw the statue and converse about its relationship not only to other wonders of

194
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 Antiquity, but also to the great works of their own day. As the philosophical debate over the relative merits of painting
Leonard Barkan has noted, in this way “the unearthed object versus sculpture. The painter enhances the cold, white marble
becomes the place of exchange not only between words and sculpture with colors taken from nature. The warm fesh-tones
pictures but also between antiquity and modern times and of Laocoön and his sons and the cool greens and yellows of
between one artist and another (ibid.)”. Soon after the Laoco8n the snakes’ tactily immediate scales fnd no parallel in the art
resurfaced, Pope Julius purchased it and had it transferred of sculpture as it was understood in the Renaissance. Likewise
to the Cortile Belvedere. The boldly-carved statue (fg. 1), Allori’s landscape - conceived according to the principles of
with its emotionally-charged fgures in contorted, twisting atmospheric perspective with orange and pink tones gradually
poses, proved a powerful source of inspiration not only for fading into light blues - creates an illusion of distance that the
Michelangelo, but also for his great contemporaries Raphael plastic arts cannot achieve. By “improving” upon the original
and Titian. It would also profoundly infuence key Mannerist statue in these ways, Allori makes a compelling case for
artists of succeeding generations, including Giorgio Vasari, painting’s mimetic superiority over its sister art.
Giambologna, and Alessandro Allori, the pupil and adoptive As Larry Feinberg recently observed, the Laocoön’s
son of Agnolo Bronzino. struggling fgures would fnd their way into several of Allori’s
In the present painting, Laocoön and his sons struggle other works (loc. cit.). For instance, the painter drew inspiration
violently against the two serpents in precisely the same poses from the sculpture for his crucifed thieves in his Deposition in
in which they appear in the ancient statue, which Allori almost the Prado (c. 1570-1575) and the fgure in the upper right of
certainly would have encountered on his frst visit to Rome his Deposition in the church of Santa Croce, Florence (fnished
in 1554-1556. Allori has even replicated the fgures’ draperies in 1571). Feinberg dates the present painting to the same period
down to the cloth that falls from the son’s shoulder to the foor in which Allori created these two paintings, that is, around
on the right—a detail that in the sculpture is required to support the time he was working on the paintings for Francesco de
the weight of the marble, but here serves no apparent function. Medici’s studiolo in Florence. In these years, the painter was
Notably, the painter situates the scene of Laocoön’s death inside moving away from the style of Bronzino and embracing a
a simple courtyard with a classically-inspired archway opening more Michelangelesque aesthetic - in particular the twisting,
onto a landscape. This architectural setting is more reminiscent energetic postures, powerful musculature, and intense emotion
of Bramante’s Cortile Belvedere than the river bank outside that Michelangelo had himself distilled from the Laocoön’s
the city of Troy described by Virgil. Allori’s reference to the example. Indeed, the fgures of Allori’s Laoco8n are closely
Laoco8n’s modern installation in the Vatican, together with the related to the hyper-muscular, contorted bodies found in
conspicuous inclusion of the ancient statue’s stepped pedestal his Pearl Gatherers and the Banquet of Cleopatra (both Palazzo
below his fgures, signals his true intention for this painting. Vecchio, Florence). The present painting compares even more
The artist assumes the role of a modern Pygmalion, surpassing closely to Allori’s Abduction of Proserpine (Getty Museum, Los
mere earthly powers of representation by bringing the sculpture Angeles), in which the principal fgures are likewise conceived
to life, not by the magic of the gods, but rather, by the power as twisting, sculptural forms, swelling with energy. The latter
of his brush. In this manner, Allori evokes the Paragone, work is signed and dated 1570, providing a strong reference
point for the dating of the present painting (ibid.).

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 PROPERTY SOLD TO BENEFIT THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

169
CARLO PORTELLI
(Loro Ciuffenna ?1510-1574 Florence)

The Madonna teaching the Christ Child to read

oil on panel
32¡ x 23æ in. (82.2 x 60.3 cm.)

$100,000-150,000
£67,000-100,000
T his arresting depiction of the Madonna teaching the Christ Child to read is a rare work
by Carlo Portelli. Notwithstanding the fact that only about twenty paintings
by him survive, Portelli had an active career in Florence alongside his Mannerist
€75,000-110,000 contemporaries Pontormo, Bronzino, Francesco Salviati, and Rosso Fiorentino.
The subject originated in the popular 13th-century devotional text, The Meditations
on the Life of Christ, which narrated a number of episodes not recounted in the Bible
and served as a frequent source of artistic inspiration during the Renaissance. The
story, which lends itself to affectionate imagery, is here represented with unusual
tenderness: the Christ Child, blond curls bouncing over his forehead, turns his gaze
PROVENANCE:
Robert Staynor Holford (1808-1892), Dorchester
up towards the Madonna with obvious eagerness for approval, his mouth open as if
House, London and Westonbirt, Gloucestershire, reading aloud. He points excitedly to a word in an opened book, whose pages are
and by descent to edged with gold and bound in leather. The Madonna, her hair falling in soft waves
Sir George Lindsay Holford (1860-1926); (†), with Michelangelesque braids pulled back at her temples, holds the child protectively
Christie’s, London, 15 July 1927, lot 95, as Rosso
near to her chest, gazing thoughtfully at the viewer.
Fiorentino (39.18 gns. to Bellesi). (Probably) with
Giuseppe Bellesi, London. Trained in the Florentine workshop of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio (1483-1561), Portelli
Judge James A. Murnaghan, Dublin, by 1969. developed a style that combined Ghirlandaio’s conservative High Renaissance idiom
Private collection, Switzerland. with the extravagant, elegant inventions and bright colors of the new generation of
with Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne.
Mannerist artists whose work fowered in Florence shortly before 1520. The large,
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London, 29 April 2010,
lot 42. rounded eyes of the Madonna and Child as well as their elongated proportions
reveal the infuence of Pontormo, while the Madonna’s elegant proper left hand,
EXHIBITED: which effortlessly supports the book she is holding against her wrist, recalls
Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, Annual Parmigianino. Though the Christ child twists in his mother’s arms with serpentine
Collectors’ Exhibition, 2008, no. 1.
grace, the Madonna’s sculptural fxity and unwavering gaze hark back to the work of
LITERATURE: Ghirlandaio. This relative proximity to the style of Portelli’s teacher suggests that the
H. Milford, The Holford Collection. Dorchester House, present Madonna teaching the Christ Child to read belongs to the early part of the artist’s
Oxford, 1927, I, pp. 5, 28, no. 46, pl. XLII, as Rosso career, c. 1535.
Fiorentino.
As recounted by Giorgio Vasari, Portelli’s early activity often included collaborations
with Francesco Salviati, most notably the decorations they produced in 1539 for the
wedding of Cosimo I de’ Medici to Eleonora of Toledo and, later, for the wedding of
Francesco I de’ Medici to Joanna of Austria in 1565. In the last years of his career, c.
1570-1573, he contributed a Neptune and Amphitrite to the famed studiolo of Francesco
I de’ Medici.
Though he worked most closely with Salviati, Portelli clearly absorbed the stylistic
innovations of Pontormo as well as those of Rosso Fiorentino, whose infuence
remained important throughout Portelli’s career. The present work, in fact, was long
ascribed to Rosso, and appears with that attribution in the catalogue of the Holford
Collection at Dorchester House on Park Lane, London, where the present painting
hung for many years. Robert Staynor Holford’s collection, including works by Andrea
del Sarto, Perugino, Raphael, and Titian, as well as the present Madonna teaching the
Christ Child to read, passed to Staynor’s son, Sir George Lindsay Holford, who added
to the collection until its eventual dispersal at his estate sale at Christie’s in 1927.
The present painting was frst recognized as a work by Carlo Portelli in 2010 by
Dott. Pierluigi Carofano on the basis of photographs. We are grateful to Everett Fahy
for endorsing the attribution of the present picture, as well as the date of c. 1535,
based on frsthand inspection.

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GIOVANNI BATTISTA NALDINI
(Fiesole c. 1537-1591 Florence)

The Holy Family with the young Saint John the Baptist
oil on panel
34√ x 27 in. (88.5 x 68.5 cm.)

$250,000-350,000
£170,000-230,000
€190,000-260,000

PROVENANCE:
Anonymous sale; Christie’s, London, 11 December
1992, lot 335, as ‘Circle of Giorgio Vasari’.
B orn in Florence in 1535, Giovanni Battista Naldini entered the workshop of
Jacopo Pontormo in 1549. The infuence of Pontormo, in whose studio Naldini
remained until 1556, is apparent especially in the early stages of his career, although
Naldini eventually forged his own highly individual style incorporating the ideals of
other great artists of the Cinquecento, such as Andrea del Sarto, Agnolo Bronzino,
and Giorgio Vasari. After Pontormo’s death in 1557, Naldini made his frst trip to
Rome, but returned to Florence in 1562 when he was recruited by Vasari to work
in the Palazzo Vecchio on Francesco I de’ Medici’s studiolo and on the Sala dei
Cinquecento.
Among Naldini’s numerous patrons in Florence, the Medici were perhaps the
most important, and his mysterious and alluring works for Francesco’s studiolo, the
Allegory of Dreams and Gathering of Ambergris, both painted 1570-1571, are among
the most inspired of his oeuvre. In the late 1570s, Naldini returned to Rome, where
he collaborated with Giovanni Balducci on several commissions, including frescoes
depicting The Life of Saint John the Baptist in the Altoviti Chapel in Santa Trinità
dei Monti. A founding member of the Accademia del Disegno in Florence in 1563,
Naldini remained active in the organization after his return around 1580 to Florence,
where his many pupils included Francesco Curradi (1570-1661) and Domenico
Passignano (1559-1638).
Datable to the early 1570s, around the time of his works for the studiolo, the
present Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist reveals Naldini’s fully mature style, with
its smoky palette dominated by cool greens and warm reds and yellows, distinctive
facial types, dramatic lighting, and inclusion of small, highly animated background
fgures. While the fgural typologies are inspired by Vasari, the composition recalls
the models of the High Renaissance masters Raphael and especially Andrea del Sarto,
whose infuence is also apparent in the warm intimacy of feeling and the sfumato
which softens the forms.
We are grateful to Professor Louis A. Waldman for confrming the attribution to
Naldini, as well as the proposed dating to the early 1570s, on the basis of photographs
(private communication, 26 October 2013).

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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

171
MIRABELLO CAVALORI
(Florence 1535-1572)

The Raising of Lazarus

oil on panel
A ccording to Giorgio Vasari, Marabello Cavalori was a student of Ridolfo del
Ghirlandaio in Florence. As one of the founding members of the Accademia del
Disegno there (1563), he contributed to the decorative programs of several important
44º x 45Ω in. (112.3 x 115.5 cm.)
projects under Vasari’s direction, such as Michelangelo’s catafalque in San Lorenzo.
$400,000-600,000 Working on this commission with his close friend Girolamo Macchietti, Cavalori
£270,000-400,000
executed a painting in grisaille of Lorenzo the Magnifcent receiving Michelangelo
(1564, untraced), for which a pen and ink drawing is preserved in the Uffzi (n.
€300,000-450,000 7286 F.r.). Cavalori also helped with the preparations for the wedding of Francesco I
and Joanna of Austria in 1565, painting ephemeral decorations in grisaille. Cavalori’s
PROVENANCE: paintings for the studiolo of Francesco I in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, perhaps the
Anonymous sale; Piasa, Paris, 26 March 2010, most important commission of his career (1570-1572), also refect his close study of
lot 52.
the works of Andrea del Sarto and Pontormo.
EXHIBITED:
As recounted in John 11:1, Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary Magdalene,
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012-2013. became gravely ill in the village of Bethany, near Jerusalem. Word was sent to Jesus,
but by the time he arrived, Lazarus had died and his body was sealed in a cave. Martha
met Jesus on the road to tell him of her brother’s fate, and was later joined by her sister,
who knelt and wept at the Savior’s feet. Leading them, along with other Jews from
the village, to Lazarus’s tomb, Christ announced that they would witness a miracle
revealing that he had been sent by God, his father. After the tomb was unsealed, Christ
called to Lazarus, “[a]nd he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with
graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin” (John 11:44).
Following a well-established Renaissance convention, Cavalori depicts Lazarus
rising from a tomb set on the ground, rather than emerging from a cave as a strict
reading of the Gospel would dictate. While the artifcial palette and stylized fgures
are typical of the Florentine maniera, passages of painterly naturalism—such as the
closely observed hands and feet of Lazarus, reddened from their tight bindings —signal
an incipient interest in the facts of the visible world. Cavalori’s masterful rendering
of details such as the tangled rope in the foreground also points to the future of
Florentine painting, when observable reality, rather than the artist’s imagination,
would serve as the primary source of inspiration.
Carlo Falciani dates the present painting to c. 1560, just before Cavalori began
working on the decorations for the studiolo. He has also noted motival similarities
between the present painting and Cavalori’s famous Wool Factory (Palazzo Vecchio,
Florence), such as the man loosening Lazarus’s bindings, whose head is tucked against
his shoulder in a manner nearly identical to that of the man stirring the cauldron in
the studiolo panel.
One hallmark of Mannerist art is the emulation of celebrated designs and motifs
from High Renaissance painting. In the present picture, Cavalori references specifc
fgures from at least two of Raphael’s most important commissions. Seen from behind,
the kneeling woman at lower left—identifable as Mary Magdalene—is recognizable
as a quotation of the startled woman on the left in Raphael’s 1511 fresco of The
Expulsion of Heliodorus in the Stanza d’Eliodoro in the Vatican. The crouching man
who loosens Lazarus’s bindings is inspired by Raphael’s 1515 tapestry of the Miraculous
Draught of Fishes (Vatican Museums), where Saint John is shown in an analogous
pose. More than mere appropriation, these references to famous works from one of
the greatest masters of the previous generation situated The Raising of Lazarus within
a continuous tradition of artistic greatness.
Falciani has tentatively identifed a preparatory drawing for this painting in the
Uffzi (no. 6678 Fr), in which Cavalori appears to be working out the pose of the
nude child who appears in the lower left corner.
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

172
GIORGIO VASARI
(Arezzo 1511-1574 Florence)

The PietS
oil on panel
22¬ x 17 in. (57.4 x 43.1 cm.)

$300,000-500,000
£200,000-330,000
€230,000-370,000

PROVENANCE:
(Probably) made for Ludovico da Ragugia, Florence,
1549.

EXHIBITED:
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012-2013.

LITERATURE:
(Probably) G. Vasari, Der literarische Nachlass, ed. K.
and H.-W. Frey, Munich, 1930, II, p. 868, no 189.

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 da Ragugia, or Ragusa, a Florentine merchant, for the price of
thirty scudi. Vasari’s entry reads:
I record that on 8 January 1549 I was commissioned two paintings by
Messer Ludovico da Ragugia, merchant in Florence, each of them one
braccia in height; one of them was to show a Madonna and Child with San
Giovanni Battista, San Giuseppe and Santa Anna, and the other Christ
Our Lord, lying dead at the feet of our Virgin, who cries over Him, with
the obscuration of the sun and the moon [Ricordo, come a di 8 di Gennaio
1549 mi fu allogato duo quadri da messer Lodovico da Ragugia, merchante in
Fiorenza, duo quadri di braccia uno daltezza luno [=each]. Inequali si aveva a
dipignere in una uno la Nostra Donna. Et inell altro il Nostro Signore Giesu X°
morto a pie della Nostra Donna, che lo piangessi, con la oscuratione del sole et della
luna. E quali fniti che fussero mi promesse dare per pagamento dessi scudi trenta
doro.] (ibid., p. 868, no. 189).
While Vasari’s account of the frst picture is too vague to
identify it with any known work, that of the Pietà, unusually
precise in the description of the subject-matter, matches the
composition of the present painting exactly. In addition, the
measurements mentioned in the Ricordanze (1 braccio forentino
(Fig. 1) Giorgio Vasari, Pietà, Christie’s, New York, 27 January 2000, lot 71 ($574,500). = approximately 58.3 cm.) correspond closely with those of the
picture, thus leaving little doubt as to its identifcation as the
Pietà made for Ludovico da Ragugia in 1549.
A few years earlier, in 1542, Vasari had painted a larger and
P reviously unpublished, this Pietà is a signifcant addition
to Vasari’s corpus of paintings. Representing the moment
following Christ’s Deposition, it shows the Virgin seated before
iconographically more complex version of the Pietà for his
friend and patron, the Florentine banker and collector Bindo
Altoviti (1491-1557), then living in exile in Rome (fg. 1).
the cross, mourning the loss of her Son. His slumped body is
A member of the Florentine nobility, Altoviti lived in Rome
resting at her feet; at his side lies the crown of thorns, one of
close to the Vatican, where he was banker of the Curia and also
the instruments of his Passion. As related in the Gospels, the
held the post of Depositario della Fabbrica di San Pietro. He was
scene is shrouded in darkness with the sun and moon obscured.
a strong opponent of the Medici in Florence yet at the same
It is typical of the smaller-scale devotional paintings that Vasari
time an important collector of works by such Florentine artists
made for friends and private patrons in and outside Florence
as Raphael, Cellini, Vasari, and Salviati (for a comprehensive
during the earlier years of his career and in particular prior
analysis of this Pietà and Altoviti’s role as collector and patron
to his engagement as court artist to Duke Cosimo de’ Medici
see L. Corti, ‘La Pietà di Vasari per Bindo Altoviti’ in Ad
in Florence in 1555. Vasari kept account books, called the
Alessandro Conti, Quaderni del seminario di storia della critica d’arte,
Ricordanze, in which he recorded most of his commissions on
no. 6, Pisa, 1996, pp. 147-164).
an annual basis, including brief descriptions of the works and
In 1540, Altoviti had commissioned from Vasari an altarpiece
their prices, the earliest entry dating from 1527 and the last
of the Allegory of the Immaculate Conception for his family chapel
from 1572, two years before his death (G. Vasari, op. cit., pp.
in SS. Apostoli, Florence, one of the painter’s most successful
874-884.). The descriptions in the Ricordanze - usually more
works (L. Corti, ‘Vasari: catologo completo’, I gigli dell’arte, 3,
precise and comprehensive when it came to larger or offcial
Florence, 1989, no. 20). The Altoviti Pietà, itself rediscovered
commissions than smaller private ones - have enabled art
only in recent times (sold Christie’s, New York, 27 January
historians identify precisely most of Vasari’s extant paintings.
2000, lot 71), greatly helped Vasari establish himself as a leading
This work, too, appears to be documented in Vasari’s
painter in Rome in the 1540s. Previously, he had worked in
Ricordanze. More specifcally, it is most likely identifable as
Tuscany and northern Italy, and the Altoviti Pietà served to
one of two paintings that Vasari made in 1549 for Ludovico
demonstrate the artist’s inventiveness and pictorial skills to

206
a wide range of potential clients. His efforts to impress the
leading Roman patrons were not made in vain. After seeing
the Altoviti PietS, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese commissioned
a large painting from Vasari, an Allegory of Justice, preserved at
Capodimonte, Naples, and subsequently entrusted him with
the fresco decoration of the Sala di Cento Giorni in the Palazzo
della Cancelleria, Rome (L. Corti, ibid., nos. 28, 46).
Vasari took great care in the execution of the Altoviti PietS
and sought iconographic advice from the humanist Paolo
Giovio. And so as to pay homage to the most famous Florentine
artist then living in Rome, he included several references to
works by Michelangelo, such as his PietS in St. Peter’s and the
fresco of the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, which had
been unveiled only about a year earlier. The fgure of Christ (Fig. 2) Sebastiano del Piombo / Pietà / De Agostini Picture Library / V. Pirozzi / The
lying on the ground rather than being supported by the Virgin, Bridgeman Art Library.
however, was a reference to another work whose main fgures
are based on a design by Michelangelo: Sebastiano del Piombo’s
famous PietS at Viterbo of c. 1516-17 (fg. 2).
While the present PietS is loosely based on the Altoviti
painting —from it Vasari took, with some variations and
in reverse, the reclining fgure of Christ—it was, above all, time referring to them in the Ricordanze as a night piece, or
Sebastiano’s PietS upon which Vasari modeled his work. The notte. (ibid., p. 865, no. 166, p. 871, no. 213).
triangular composition, the pose of the Virgin with her hands That Vasari’s rendering of darkness impressed his
folded, and the dark landscape with the obscured sun and contemporaries is further documented by an event that
moon, reveal the artist’s intimate knowledge of Sebastiano’s occurred many years later. In 1564, he made a drawing of Judith
painting. We do not know exactly when Vasari visited Viterbo, Holding the Head of Holofernes for his friend and iconographic
yet he is all but certain to have stopped there on one of his advisor, Vincenzio Borghini, from which the latter’s protégé,
trips to Rome in the late 1530s and 1540s. In Sebastiano’s Giovanni Battista Naldini, was to execute a now-lost painting.
Vita, Vasari praises the painstaking execution of the Viterbo In a letter to the artist, which contained precise instructions
PietS, particularly mentioning the gloomy (tenebroso) landscape, concerning the painting’s iconography, Borghini asked Vasari
which was already famous at the time (G. Vasari, Le Vite de’ piz specifcally to depict the scene as a night piece (notte), like the
eccellenti Pittori, Scultori ed Architettori, G. Milanesi, ed., Le Opere one he had painted for Camaldoli more than twenty-fve years
di Giorgio Vasari, Florence, 1878-1885, V, p. 568: ‘Sebastiano earlier (ibid., p. 101, ‘come la vostra note di Camaldoli’).
[...] vi fece un paese tenebroso molto lodato’). In its subtle rendering of uncanny darkness, this PietS testifes
The depiction of night scenes was one of Vasari’s specialties. to Vasari’s success in a genre that was highly appreciated already
In the summer of 1538, immediately after his return from an by his contemporaries. In addition, it constitutes an important
extensive study trip to Rome and perhaps after visiting Viterbo, testament to Vasari’s assimilation of one of Sebastiano’s
Vasari painted an Adoration of the Shepherds for the monastery major paintings, successfully combining the monumentality of
of Camaldoli in the guise of a night piece - ‘contrafacendovi una Michelangelesque fgures with Sebastiano’s painterly treatment
oscurit di notte’, as he states in the Ricordanze (G. Vasari, 1930, of the landscape. At the same time, the classical simplicity of
op. cit., no. 94. See also L. Corti, op. cit., no. 9). Subsequently Vasari’s composition reveals the painter at his most touching
Vasari treated the subject several times on a smaller scale, each and personal.
Florian Härb, September 2013

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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

173
ALESSANDRO ALLORI
(Florence 1535-1607)

Noli me tangere
signed and dated and inscribed ‘NEL.A.M.D.99/ALESSANDRO BRONZINO/
ALLORI DIPINGEVA’ (lower center)
oil on panel
24º x 19º in. (61.5 x 48.8 cm.)

$400,000-600,000
£270,000-400,000
€300,000-450,000

PROVENANCE:
Palazzo Borghese, Rome, by 1872; sale, Giacomini
& Campobachi, Rome, 7 April 1892, lot 666.
Giuseppe Volpi, 1st Count of Misurata (1877-1947),
T he subject of this exquisite panel is based on a passage in John (20:17), which
recounts the Resurrected Christ appearing before Mary Magdalene. At frst, she
thinks he is a gardener, but when she recognizes him and falls at his feet he instructs
Rome, by 1929, and by descent to her not to touch him. Here, Christ carries a banner with the sign of the cross,
Giovanni Colpi, Count of Misurata; his sale, Laurin symbolizing his triumph over death. Mary, her curly red-blond hair falling in waves
& Gillaux, Palazzo Volpi, Rome, 11 October 1972,
over her shoulders, has just made her discovery and dropped to her knees before the
lot 109.
with Trinity Fine Art, London, 2004, where acquired Redeemer. The scene takes place in an elegant Italian villa garden surrounded by a
by the present owner. crenellated wall and adorned with typically Florentine architectural decorations in
pietra serena. A stately row of cypress trees rises up at right, and in the background, a
EXHIBITED:
pergola adorned with blooming vines stands out against the gentle glow of a spring
London, Trinity Fine Arts, 23 June-9 July 2004, no. 1.
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012-2013. sunset.
One of the most important painters active in Florence in the second half of the
LITERATURE: 16th century, Alessandro Allori was the pupil and adopted son of Bronzino and the
J. Meyer, Allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon, Leipzig, 1872,
father of Cristofano Allori, the distinguished Florentine painter of the early Baroque
I, p. 505.
C. Gamba, ‘A proposito di Alessandro Allori e di period. Alessandro’s work reveals a deep respect for the bel disegno of the masters of the
un suo ritratto’, in Dalla Rivista del Reale Istituto golden age of Florentine art, including Michelangelo, Andrea del Sarto and, of course,
d’archeologia e storia dell’arte, I, 1929, pp. 274-275, Bronzino. His style, however, incorporates a variety of contemporary infuences and
fg. 9, as dated 1590. his landscapes in particular may refect frsthand knowledge of Northern painters such
A. Venturi, La Pittura del Cinquecento in Storia
dell’arte italiana, VI, Milan, 1933, pp. 108-109,
as Paul Bril.
fg. 70. After an early sojourn in Rome from 1554-1560, during which he studied antique
L. Berti, ‘Note brevi su inediti toscani’, Bollettino statuary and the works of Michelangelo, Allori returned to Florence and became a
d’Arte, XXXVIII, no. 2, 1953, p. 280, as dated 1590. favored artist of the Florentine elite. His paintings for the prestigious Salviati, cousins
A Selection of Italian Drawings from North American
Collections, exhibition catalogue, Montreal, p. 33.
of the Medici, include mythological panels at Alamanno Salviati’s villa at Ponte alla
S. L. Giovannoni, Alessandro Allori, Turin, 1991, pp. Badia, near Florence, and fresco decorations for Jacopo Salviati’s Florentine palazzo
263, 274-275, no. 117; p. 289, under no. 152, as as well as for his family chapel in the monastery of San Marco. Allori also frequently
dated 1590. painted for the Medici; his frescoes in the Salone Grande of the family villa at Poggio
a Caiano, near Florence, comprise his most important secular commission, and his
iconic Pearl Fishers of 1570-1571, which decorates the western wall of Francesco de’
Medici’s studiolo in the Palazzo Vecchio, remains one of the most memorable images
of the Florentine maniera.
The present picture was frst published in in 1872, when it was still a part of the
Borghese collection, as ‘an important work in the Galleria Borghese in Rome, where
one sees Christ portrayed as a gardener holding a vessel before the kneeling Magdalen,
depicted as a gentlewoman with a beautiful head and a languid expression, wearing a
lace collar and shawl’ (Meyer, loc. cit.). Nearly ffty years later, Carlo Gamba saw the
Noli me tangere in the collection of Count Volpi of Misurata in Rome. Gamba extolled

208
209
 (fg. 1) Alessandro Allori, Noli me tangere, Confraternita della Misericordia,
Arezzo.

the panel’s ‘delightful’ qualities, pointing out the dignifed of his fgures and the intensity of their relationships became
serenity of the sacred fgures and marveling at the soft evening increasingly accentuated, often to great poetic effect (op. cit.,
light which envelops them: p. 262). Two other versions of the Noli me tangere subject
by Allori survive: a canvas of similar composition in the
Calmo e nobilmente misurato nel gesto e nei severi drappeggi, che oramai
rivestono d’austerità le sacre fgure si manifesta l’Allori nel deliziosio Confraternita della Misericordia, Arezzo, recorded as having
Noli me tangere del Conte Volpi di Misurata del 1590, ove Christo e la once been dated 1584 (fg. 1; see Giovannoni, op. cit. no. 97),
Maddalena circonfusi di luce vespertina spiccano nel fondo cupo d’un
classico giardino con archi e alberi contro il chiarore del cielo. [A calmness and a fresco of the mid-1580s from a series of scenes from
and noble restraint in gesture and in the severe garments, which enhance the life of Mary Magdalene in the Palazzo Salviati, Florence
the austerity of the sacred fgures, are manifested by Allori in the delightful
Noli me tangere of 1590 owned by the Count Volpi of Misurata, in
(see Giovannoni, op. cit., no. 70). The present work is Allori’s
which Christ and the Magdalene are surrounded by evening light, set off last known treatment of the subject, and typical of his most
out against the dark background of a classical garden with arches and trees serenely spiritual mature paintings: crisply delineated as tangible
before the glowing sky.] (loc. cit.).
presences, Mary and Christ at the same time evoke the sort of
None of the scholars who subsequently published the picture grace appropriate to holy fgures. With the glow of a cruciform
had the opportunity to see it in person: Venturi (1933) and halo emanating behind him, Christ reaches out to bless Mary
Berti (1953) relied on Gamba’s black and white photograph, with an almost Baptismal gesture. Their gazes are imbued with
and in her 1991 catalogue raisonné on Allori, Giovannoni remarkable intensity: lost in mutual contemplation, they seem
listed it as lost. Understandably, these scholars repeated indifferent to the loveliness of their surroundings, which unfold
Gamba’s misreading of the date, which current examination has toward a radiant pink and blue sky behind, enhancing the
revealed to be ‘99’, thus placing the panel nine years later than poetry of the moment.
traditionally thought. As such, this recently rediscovered Noli The importance of landscape evident in the present picture
me tangere provides valuable insight into Allori’s most mature is characteristic of Allori’s most mature works—those datable to
phase. after 1590—which refect his developing interest in Flemish and
As Giovannoni notes, after 1580 Allori began to move Venetian painting. Several paintings from the last years of the
away from the example of Bronzino, developing the highly artist’s life demonstrate this new emphasis on richly described
refned, polished mode of his fnal years, in which the elegance naturalistic backgrounds, including the Sacrifce of Isaac of 1601

210
in the Uffzi, Florence; the Christ in the House of Mary and Martha
of 1605 in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (fg. 2); and
the St. Jerome in Penitence of 1606 in the Princeton University
Art Museum. The prominence of the landscape in the present
work is especially notable in light of the drawing upon which
it was based (fg. 3), which was made some ten years earlier in
preparation for a series of overdoor tapestries with scenes from
the New Testament, woven between 1588 and 1598. While the
drawing, and the tapestry for which it served as a design, repeat
the general contours of the background, the landscape setting
in the present panel is enhanced with myriad rich details and
infused with the subtle tonality of approaching twilight.
The Noli me tangere has an illustrious provenance: from at
least 1872 it was part of the celebrated Borghese collection in
Rome, housed in the magnifcent Villa Borghese outside the
Porta Pinciana. In the spring of 1892 it was sold, along with
the contents of the Villa Borghese. The entry in the auction
catalogue, in which the correct date of 1599 is indicated, reads:
La Madeleine et Jésus Christ. Madeleine agenouillée, ses cheveux blonds dénonés
retombant sur les épaules, vêtue d’une robe brune et d’un manteau vert, contemple
avec admiration Notre-Seigneur qui debout et tenant une bannière à longue hampe
dans la main gauche, lève le bras vers elle; robe rouge et manteau bleu. Un jardin
avec berceau, entouré de murs crénelés, et des collines à l’horizon, forment le
fond. Tableau d’un beau caractère et d’une grande fnesse d’exècution; signè et
datge: = NEL. A. M. D. 99 = ALESSANDRO BRONZINO = ALLORI
DIPINGEVA.

(fg. 3) Alessandro Allori, Noli me tangere, Yale University Art Gallery, New
Haven.

By the early 20th century, the Noli me tangere had entered

the collection of Giuseppe Volpi, 1st Count of Misurata, a
diplomat and Italy’s leading industrialist. Often referred to as
the ‘Last Doge’, Volpi served as Italy’s Finance Minister from
1925-1928, successfully negotiating Italy’s First World War
debt repayments to the United States and England. Among
other achievements, he was Chairman of the Venice Biennale
and founder, in 1932, of the Venice Film Festival. He and
his wife, the Countess Nathalie Volpi di Misurata, were
pillars of contemporary Roman and Venetian society, hosting
magnifcent annual balls at their palaces in Rome and Sabaudia
that were attended by guests from Cole Porter to Winston
Churchill and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. By wish of
Pope John XXIII, Count Volpi was buried in the basilica of
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice, one of the greatest
churches in the city. The Palazzo Volpi in Rome, where the
present picture was housed, overlooks the city and the once-
Royal gardens from 15,000 feet of terraces and fve foors. It was
built in the 17th century by the architect Alessandro Specchi,
who also designed the Spanish Steps in Rome.

(fg. 2) Alessandro Allori, Christ in the House of Mary and Martha, Kunsthistorisches
Museum, Vienna, Photo Credit : Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY.

211
 174
JACOPINO DEL CONTE
(Florence c. 1515-1598 Rome)

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

oil on panel
41æ x 32Ω in. (106 x 82.5 cm.)

$700,000-1,000,000
£470,000-670,000
€530,000-750,000
L ong associated with the workshop of Andrea del Sarto and previously published
with an attribution to the master himself, this arresting depiction of Saint Catherine
of Alexandria was correctly ascribed by Federico Zeri to Jacopino del Conte, one of
Del Sarto’s most distinguished pupils (loc. cit.). Towards the end of Del Sarto’s career,
his thriving workshop included artists who would become luminaries in their own
right, such as Rosso Fiorentino, Jacopo Pontormo, and Agnolo Bronzino. Jacopino
PROVENANCE: del Conte was among these burgeoning talents, and, like them, forced to develop an
Palazzo Barberini, Rome. independent practice after Del Sarto’s death in 1530 and the subsequent dissolution
Fidecommisso Sciarra, Palazzo Sciarra, Rome. of the studio.
Sir Jospeh B. Robinson, Bt., London, by 1923, and
by descent to
The composition of the present picture is based on a cartoon for the gracefully posed
Princess Labia, Capetown, South Africa; Sotheby’s, fgure of Saint Julia that occupied the lower right quadrant of Del Sarto’s imposing
London, 27 November 1963, lot 31, as ‘A. del Sarto’ Sarzana altarpiece (destroyed), a commission undertaken by the master in 1528 which
(£450 to ‘Bartolini’). was described in detail by Vasari, also then a member of his workshop. In his recent
with Berheimer, Zurich.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, Monaco, 15 June
study of Jacopino del Conte’s oeuvre, Andrea Donati (loc. cit.) has pointed out that a
1990, lot 203, as ‘Circle of Andrea del Sarto’, where panel in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan (inv. Nap. 413), showing the same fgure
acquired by the following in the guise of Mary Magdalene, must also have been based on Del Sarto’s obviously
Private collection, London. much admired cartoon. Donati singles out the present Saint Catherine of Alexandria
for special attention, suggesting that it could have been painted by Jacopino while he
LITERATURE:
H. Guinness, Andrea del Sarto, London, 1899, was still in Del Sarto’s workshop, its cool grace and technical fnesse distinguishing
p. 100, as Andrea del Sarto, with assistance. the young artist among a constellation of budding stars. Alternatively, it might have
S. J. Freedberg, Andrea del Sarto: catalogue raisonné, been executed in the years just after Del Sarto’s death, the young Jacopino using the
Cambridge, 1963, II, p. 174 as derived from Del
venerable cartoon to commend himself to a Florentine patron. It is certainly likely
Sarto’s Sarzana altarpiece.
R. Monti, Andrea del Sarto, Milan, 1963, p. 112, that the Saint Catherine was made in Florence during Jacopino’s formative years, before
fg. 332, as probably Andrea del Sarto. 1538, when he relocated to Rome and came under the infuence of Michelangelo and
J. Shearman, Andrea del Sarto, Oxford, 1965, I, Raphael.
fg. 161c; II, pp. 292-293, no. 8, as Studio of Andrea
After settling in the Eternal City, Jacopino joined Rome’s guild of painters,
del Sarto.
F. Zeri, ‘Rivedendo Jacopino del Conte’, Antalogio
the Accademia di San Luca, and went on to receive prestigious fresco and portrait
di Belle Arti, II, May 1978, (reprinted 1994), p. 114, commissions throughout the rest of his prominent career. The present work, in
fg. 2. 978. which the full, smoothly modeled physiognomy and introspective mood recall
P. Costamagna and A. Fabre, ‘Di Alcuni Problemi Del Sarto’s fnest portraits, also anticipates the paintings of Jacopino’s mature years.
della Bottega di Andrea del Sarto’, Paragone, XLII,
no. 491, 1991, p. 23.
By the late 1540s, after the death of Sebastiano del Piombo, Jacopino had become
A. Donati, Ritratto e fgura nel manierismo a Roma: the favored portraitist of the Roman clergy and aristocracy, painting likenesses of
Michelangelo Buonarotti, Jacopino del Conte, Daniele Marcello Cervini (Pope Marcellus II), Vittoria Farnese (both Rome, Palazzo Borghese),
Ricciarelli, Repubblica di San Marino, 2010, pp. 122- and Pope Paul III (Rome, Santa Francesca Romana), among other illustrious sitters.
123, fg. 134.
His latest works, such as the Portrait of a Cardinal in the Kunsthistorisches Museum,
Vienna, are characterized by a formal severity and cold directness favored in Roman
Counter-Reformation circles, not yet present in the rich palette and gentle mood of
the Saint Catherine. Jacopino’s portraits were sought-after by numerous contemporary
collectors, such as the celebrated humanist Paolo Giovio (1483-1552), and his prestige
became so great that in 1558 he was honored with Roman citizenship and given a
home and land in the city by Paolo Giordano Orsini, frst Duke of Bracciano.
According to John Shearman, a copy of the present work was formerly in the
Capponi Collection, Florence (loc. cit.).

212
213
 175
SCIPIONE PULZONE, CALLED IL GAETANO
(Gaeta 1544-1598 Rome)

The Blessed Virgin

signed and dated ‘Scipio. Gaietanus / faci... 1583’ (lower right)
oil on panel
13æ x 10 in. (34.9 x 25.4 cm.)

$200,000-300,000
£140,000-200,000
€150,000-220,000

PROVENANCE:
(Possibly) Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte
(1549-1627), Rome.
Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire (1868-
S igned and dated 1583, this serene devotional image of the Blessed Virgin is the
earliest known representation of the subject by Scipione Pulzone, one of the most
esteemed artists active in Rome in the second half of the 16th century. Pulzone began
1938), Chatsworth, 1909 (according to a label on his career as a painter of portraits, and by the mid-1570s had established himself as
the reverse). the preeminent portraitist in the city. Pulzone was also among the most important
exponents of Counter-Reformation art of his generation, painting religious subjects in
EXHIBITED:
Gaeta, Museo Diocesano, Scipione Pulzone. Da which late maniera artifce and complexity are eschewed in favor of narrative clarity,
Gaeta a Roma alle Corti europee, 27 June-27 October simplicity, and greater realism. Purifed of extraneous detail and straightforward in
2013, no. 19 (catalogue entry by R. Gandolf). presentation, this graceful image of the Blessed Virgin perfectly exemplifes what Zeri
described as Pulzone’s arte senza tempo—art without time—a timeless art of which the
LITERATURE:
‘Letter from London,’ Antichità Viva: Rassegna principal goal is to inspire prayer and religious devotion.
d’Arte, VII, 4, 1968, p. 59. In exceptionally fne condition, the present painting is also notable for its subtle
A. Dern, Scipione Pulzone (c. 1546-1598), Weimar, and harmonious palette, in which the Virgin’s delicate, transparent white veil serves to
2003, p. 126, no. 31, fg. 37.
link the warm tones of her lips and border of her tunic with the cool, luminous blue
A. Acconci, ‘Scipione Pulzone e la nuova icona,
linee di ricerca,’ in Scipione Pulzone. Da Gaeta a of the mantle framing her face. The hooded mantle closely recalls a maphorion, the
Roma alle Corti europee, exhibition catalogue, garment worn by the Virgin in Byzantine icons, in which there was a renewed interest
Gaeta, Museo Diocesano, 2013, p. 96. among collectors in post-Tridentine Rome (Acconci, op. cit., p. 93). The brownish-
yellow background also approximates the gold leaf backgrounds of Byzantine icons,
further underscoring the link to the ancient tradition of the imago Virginis and the
picture’s function as an instrument of spiritual elevation (Gandolf, op. cit., p. 303).
The intimate scale of the picture suggests that it was meant to be seen from close
range in the private chamber of its commissioner, who, Acconci has suggested, was
likely an eminent prelate (op. cit., p. 96).
Although few such images of the Virgin by Pulzone survive today, early inventories
suggest that many were part of important private collections, among them that of the
Franciscan Francesco Gonzaga (1586-1612), bishop of the Order of the Frati Minori,
and the Cardinal-Archbishop of Milan, Federico Borromeo (1564-1631), a leading
Catholic reformer and the author of De Pitura Sacra (1624), in which he laid out the
rules artists should follow in creating sacred art (ibid.). Cardinal Francesco Maria del
Monte (1549-1627), the great patron of Caravaggio and perhaps the most important
art collector in Rome of his time, owned two, which were listed in an inventory
drawn up on his death in 1627. The frst, “Una Testa di una Madonna di mano di
Scipione Gaetano con Cornice d’Ebano,” is somewhat larger than the present work,
but an identifcation with the second—of which the dimensions closely coincide—is
tantalizing: “Una testa d’una Madonna di mano di Scipione gaetano con Cornice
Indorate alta palmi uno, et æ” (A. Dern, op. cit., p. 126). While the early history of
the picture has yet to be securely determined, the frst notice of it was in 1909, when,
according to a label on the reverse, it was purchased from the collection of the Duke
of Devonshire at Chatsworth, where it had been attributed to Guercino.
214
END OF SALE
215
 Important Notices and Explanation of
Cataloguing Practice
IMPORTANT NOTICES EXPLANATION OF FOR SCULPTURE
CATALOGUING PRACTICE Terms used in this catalogue have the meanings ascribed to
CHRISTIE’S INTEREST IN PROPERTY CONSIGNED them below. Please note that all statements in this catalogue
FOR AUCTION FOR PICTURES, DRAWINGS, PRINTS as to Authorship are made subject to the provisions of the
From time to time, Christie’s may offer a lot which it AND MINIATURES CONDITIONS OF SALE and LIMITED WARRANTY.
owns in whole or in part. Such property is identified in the 1. AUGUSTE RODIN
1. FRANCESCO GUARDI
catalogue with the symbol ∆ next to its lot number. (artist’s first name or names and his last name)
On occasion, Christie’s has a direct financial interest in In Christie’s opinion a work by the artist.
In Christie’s opinion a work by the artist. In the case of a
lots consigned for sale, which may include guaranteeing 2. Attributed to FRANCESCO GUARDI* bronze or other multiple, the work has been cast with the
a minimum price or making an advance to the consignor In Christie’s qualified opinion a work of the period of the artist’s consent or that of his estate either during his lifetime
that is secured solely by consigned property. Such property artist which may be in whole or part the work of the artist. or shortly thereafter. In the case of a marble, wood or other
is identified in the catalogue with the symbol º next to 3. Circle of FRANCESCO GUARDI* hand carved medium, the work has been carved by the art-
the lot number. This symbol will be used both in cases In Christie’s qualified opinion a work of the period of the ist or by his studio under his supervision.
where Christie’s holds the financial interest on its own, and artist and closely related in his style. 2. Attributed to AUGUSTE RODIN*
in cases where Christie’s has financed all or part of such
4. Studio of … In Christie’s qualified opinion, a work of the period of
interest through third parties. When a third party agrees to
Workshop of FRANCESCO GUARDI* the artist which may be the work of the artist as described
finance all or part of Christie’s interest in a lot, it takes on
all or part of the risk of the lot not being sold, and will be In Christie’s qualified opinion a work possibly executed previously.
remunerated in exchange for accepting this risk. The third under the supervision of the artist. 3. After AUGUSTE RODIN*
party may also bid for the lot. Where it does so, and is the 5. School of FRANCESCO GUARDI* In Christie’s qualified opinion, a later unauthorized copy
successful bidder, the remuneration may be netted against In Christie’s qualified opinion a work by a pupil or fol- after a work by the artist and not directly connected in any
the final purchase price. If the lot is not sold, the third lower of the artist. way with the artist, his studio or estate.
party may incur a loss. Where Christie’s has an ownership 6. Manner of FRANCESCO GUARDI* *This term and its definition in this Explanation of
or financial interest in every lot in the catalogue, Christie’s In Christie’s qualified opinion a work in the style of the Cataloguing Practice are a qualified statement as to
will not designate each lot with a symbol, but will state its artist, possibly of a later period. Authorship. While the use of this term is based upon care-
interest at the front of the catalogue. ful study and represents the opinion of experts, Christie’s
7. After FRANCESCO GUARDI*
In this catalogue, if property has u next to the lot and the consignor assume no risk, liability and responsi-
º
number, Christie’s guarantee of a minimum price has been In Christie’s qualified opinion a copy of the work of the bility for the authenticity of authorship of any lot in this
financed through third parties. artist. catalogue described by this term.
8. ‘signed’
ALL DIMENSIONS ARE APPROXIMATE Has a signature which in Christie’s qualified opinion is the
signature of the artist.
CONDITION REPORTS
9. ‘with signature’
Christie’s catalogues include references to condition only
in descriptions of multiple works (such as prints, books Has a signature which in Christie’s qualified opinion might
and wine). Please contact the Specialist Department for a be the signature of the artist.
condition report on a particular lot. 10. ‘dated’
Condition reports are provided as a service to interested Is so dated and in Christie’s qualified opinion was executed
clients. Prospective buyers should note that descriptions of at about that date.
property are not warranties and that each lot is sold “as is.” 11. ‘with date’
Is so dated and in Christie’s qualified opinion may have
PROPERTY INCORPORATING MATERIALS FROM
been executed at about that date.
ENDANGERED AND OTHER PROTECTED SPECIES
*This term and its definition in this Explanation of
Property made of or incorporating (irrespective of Cataloguing Practice are a qualified statement as to
percentage) endangered and other protected species of Authorship. While the use of this term is based upon care-
wildlife are marked with the symbol ~ in the catalogue. ful study and represents the opinion of experts, Christie’s
Such material includes, among other things, ivory, and the consignor assume no risk, liability and responsi-
tortoiseshell, crocodile skin, rhinoceros horn, whale bility for the authenticity of authorship of any lot in this
bone and certain species of coral, together with Brazilian catalogue described by this term.
rosewood. Prospective purchasers are advised that several
countries prohibit altogether the importation of property
containing such materials, and that other countries
require a permit {e.g., a CITES permit) from the relevant
regulatory agencies in the countries of exportation as well
as importation. Accordingly, clients should familiarize
themselves with the relevant customs laws and regulations
prior to bidding on any property with wildlife material if
they intend to import the property into another country.
For example, the U.S. generally prohibits the importation
of articles containing species that it has designated as
endangered or threatened if those articles are less than 100
years old.
Please note that it is the client’s responsibility to
determine and satisfy the requirements of any
applicable laws or regulations applying to the export
or import of property containing endangered and
other protected wildlife material. The inability of
a client to export or import property containing
endangered and other protected wildlife material
is not a basis for cancellation or rescission of the
sale. Please note also that lots containing potentially
regulated wildlife material are marked as a
convenience to our clients, but Christie’s does not
accept liability for errors or for failing to mark lots
containing protected or regulated species.

30/5/12

216
Buying at Christie’s
CONDITIONS OF SALE Please note that Christie’s does not accept payments The fax number to send completed CNP (Card
Christie’s Conditions of Sale and Limited Warranty from third parties. Christie’s can only accept Member not Present) authorization forms to is
are set out later in this catalogue. Bidders are payment from the client, and not from the person +1 212 636 4939. Alternatively, clients can mail the
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BIDDING to $7,500 (subject to conditions).
ESTIMATES The auctioneer accepts bids from those present Bank Checks should be made payable to Christie’s
Estimates are based upon prices recently paid at in the saleroom, from telephone bidders, or by (subject to conditions).
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in US dollars. In order to process your payment
representation or prediction of actual selling prices. reserve. The auctioneer will not specifically identify
efficiently, please quote sale number, invoice
Estimates do not include the buyer’s premium or bids placed on behalf of the seller. Under no
number and client number with all transactions.
VAT. Where “Estimate on Request” appears, please circumstances will the auctioneer place any bid on
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RESERVES Please direct all inquiries to the Cashiers’ Office Tel:
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BUYER’S PREMIUM executed at approximately 50% of the low pre sale funds before the property will be released.
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Exceptions: TELEPHONE BIDS It is the buyer’s responsibility to ascertain and pay all
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PRE-AUCTION VIEWING bid in languages other than English must be made
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appointment. recording of their conversations. Lot Collection Notice for collection information
BIDDER REGISTRATION Christie’s offers all absentee and telephone bidding for purchased lots. This sheet is available from the
Prospective buyers who have not previously bid or services as a convenience to our clients, but will not Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the
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• Individuals: government-issued photo SUCCESSFUL BIDS SHIPPING
identification (such as a driving license, national While invoices are sent out by mail after the A shipping form is enclosed with each invoice. It
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discretion dependent upon your financial reference, immediately after the auction. To avoid delivery We regret that Christie’s staff will not accommodate
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To allow sufficient time to process the information, to $50,000), bank checks, checks and cash, money before exporting. It is the buyer’s sole responsibility
new clients are encouraged to register at least 48 orders or travellers checks (up to $7,500 combined to obtain any relevant export or import license.
hours in advance of a sale. total, subject to conditions) The denial of any license or any delay in obtaining
Prospective buyers should register for a numbered Wire transfer: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. 270 licenses shall neither justify the rescission of any sale
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Clients who have not made a purchase from any 021000021 FBO: Christie’s Inc. Account # Upon request, Christie’s will assist the buyer in
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authorizing the bidder to act on the client’s behalf.

15/02/13

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Handling and Collection

HANDLING AND COLLECTION ADMINISTRATION AND HANDLING CHARGES

All lots will be handled free of charge for 35 days from the auction Failure to collect your property within 35 calendar days of the
date at Christie’s Rockefeller Center or Redstone handling facility. auction date from any Christie’s location, will result in handling
Operation hours for collection from either location are from and administration charges plus any applicable sales taxes.
9.30 am to 5.00 pm, Monday-Friday. (Lots may not be collected
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information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration Center on +1 212 636 2000.
staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent
with your invoice.

Charges All Property

Administration (per lot, due on Day 36) $150.00

Handling (per lot/day, beginning Day 36) $12.00

Property can be transferred to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS) New York
at any time for environmentally controlled long term storage, per client request.
CFASS is a separate subsidiary of Christie’s and clients enjoy complete confidentiality.
Contact CFASS New York for details: Tel: + 1 212 974 4570, newyork@cfass.com

STREET MAP OF CHRISTIE’S NEW YORK LOCATIONS

Christie’s Rockefeller Center Christie’s Redstone

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219
 Conditions of Sale

These Conditions of Sale and the Important Notices all other applicable charges, unless it has been (i) Auctioneer’s discretion
and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice contain all explicitly agreed in writing with Christie’s before The auctioneer has the right at his absolute and sole
the terms on which Christie’s and the seller contract the commencement of the sale that the bidder is discretion to refuse any bid, to advance the bidding
with the buyer. They may be amended by posted acting as agent on behalf of an identified third party in such a manner as he may decide, to withdraw or
notices or oral announcements made during the acceptable to Christie’s, and that Christie’s will only divide any lot, to combine any two or more lots and,
sale. By bidding at auction you agree to be bound look to the principal for payment. in the case of error or dispute, and whether during
by these terms. or after the sale, to determine the successful bidder,
(d) Absentee bids to continue the bidding, to cancel the sale or to
1. CHRISTIE’S AS AGENT We will use reasonable efforts to carry out written reoffer and resell the item in dispute. If any dispute
Except as otherwise stated Christie’s acts as agent for bids delivered to us prior to the sale for the arises after the sale, our sale record is conclusive.
the seller. The contract for the sale of the property is convenience of clients who are not present at the
therefore made between the seller and the buyer. auction in person, by an agent or by telephone. Bids (j) Successful bid and passing of risk
must be placed in the currency of the place of the Subject to the auctioneer’s discretion, the highest
sale. Please refer to the catalogue for the Absentee bidder accepted by the auctioneer will be the buyer
2. BEFORE THE SALE
Bids Form. If we receive written bids on a particular and the striking of his hammer marks the acceptance
(a) Examination of property lot for identical amounts, and at the auction these of the highest bid and the conclusion of a contract
Prospective buyers are strongly advised to examine are the highest bids on the lot, it will be sold to for sale between the seller and the buyer. Risk and
personally any property in which they are interested, the person whose written bid was received and responsibility for the lot (including frames or glass
before the auction takes place. Condition reports accepted first. Execution of written bids is a free where relevant) passes to the buyer at the expiration
are usually available on request. Neither Christie’s service undertaken subject to other commitments of seven calendar days from the date of the sale or on
nor the seller provides any guarantee in relation to at the time of the sale and we do not accept liability collection by the buyer if earlier.
the nature of the property apart from the Limited for failing to execute a written bid or for errors and
Warranty in paragraph 6 below. The property is omissions in connection with it. 4. AFTER THE SALE
otherwise sold “as is.”
(e) Telephone bids (a) Buyer’s premium
Our cataloguing practice is explained in the Telephone bids will be accepted for lots with low- In addition to the hammer price, the buyer agrees
Important Notices and Explanation of Cataloguing end estimates of $1,500 and above, no later than 24 to pay to us the buyer’s premium together with any
Practice after the catalogue entries. All statements hours prior to the sale and only if the capacity of our applicable value added tax, sales or compensating
by us in the catalogue entry for the property or in pool of staff phone bidders allows. Arrangements to use tax or equivalent tax in the place of sale. The
the condition report, or made orally or in writing bid in languages other than English must be made buyer’s premium is 25% of the final bid price of each
elsewhere, are statements of opinion and are not to well in advance of the sale date. lot up to and including $100,000, 20% of the excess
be relied on as statements of fact. Such statements of the hammer price above $100,000 and up to and
do not constitute a representation, warranty or Telephone bids may be recorded. By bidding on including $2,000,000 and 12% of the excess of the
assumption of liability by us of any kind. References the telephone, prospective purchasers consent to the hammer price above $2,000,000.
in the catalogue entry or the condition report to recording of their conversations.
damage or restoration are for guidance only and (b) Payment and passing of title
should be evaluated by personal inspection by the Christie’s offers all absentee and telephone bidding Immediately following the sale, the buyer must
bidder or a knowledgeable representative. The services as a convenience to our clients, but will not provide us with his or her name and permanent
absence of such a reference does not imply that an be responsible for errors or failures to execute bids. address and, if so requested, details of the bank from
item is free from defects or restoration, nor does which payment will be made. The buyer must pay
a reference to particular defects imply the absence (f) Currency converter the full amount due (comprising the hammer price,
of any others. Estimates of the selling price should At some auctions a currency converter may be buyer’s premium and any applicable taxes) not later
not be relied on as a statement that this is the price operated. Errors may occur in the operation of the than 4.30pm on the seventh calendar day following
at which the item will sell or its value for any other currency converter and we do not accept liability to the sale. This applies even if the buyer wishes to
purpose. Except as set forth in paragraph 6 below, bidders who follow the currency converter rather export the lot and an export license is, or may be,
neither Christie’s nor the seller is responsible in any than the actual bidding in the saleroom. required. The buyer will not acquire title to the
way for errors and omissions in the catalogue or any lot until all amounts due to us from the buyer have
(g) Video or digital images been received by us in good cleared funds even in
supplemental material.
At some auctions there may be a video or digital circumstances where we have released the lot to the
(c) Buyer’s responsibility screen. Errors may occur in its operation and in the buyer.
Except as stated in the Limited Warranty in quality of the image and we do not accept liability
paragraph 6 below, all property is sold “as is” for such errors. (c) Collection of purchases
without any representation or warranty of any kind We shall be entitled to retain items sold until all
(h) Reserves amounts due to us, or to Christie’s International
by Christie’s or the seller. Buyers are responsible
for satisfying themselves concerning the condition Unless otherwise indicated, all lots are offered plc, or to any of its affiliates, subsidiaries or parent
of the property and the matters referred to in the subject to a reserve, which is the confidential companies worldwide, have been received in full in
catalogue entry. minimum price below which the lot will not be good cleared funds or until the buyer has satisfied
sold. The reserve will not exceed the low estimate such other terms as we, at our sole discretion, shall
printed in the catalogue. If any lots are not subject require, including, for the avoidance of doubt,
3. AT THE SALE
to a reserve, they will be identified with the symbol completing any anti-money laundering or anti-
(a) Refusal of admission • next to the lot number. The auctioneer may terrorism financing checks we may require to our
Christie’s has the right, at our complete discretion, open the bidding on any lot below the reserve by satisfaction. In the event a buyer fails to complete
to refuse admission to the premises or participation placing a bid on behalf of the seller. The auctioneer any anti-money laundering or anti-terrorism
in any auction and to reject any bid. may continue to bid on behalf of the seller up financing checks to our satisfaction, Christie’s
to the amount of the reserve, either by placing shall be entitled to cancel the sale and to take any
(b) Registration before bidding
consecutive bids or by placing bids in response to other actions that are required or permitted under
Prospective buyers who wish to bid in the saleroom other bidders. With respect to lots that are offered
can register online in advance of the sale, or applicable law. Subject to this, the buyer shall collect
without reserve, unless there are already competing purchased lots within seven calendar days from the
can come to the saleroom on the day of the sale bids, the auctioneer, in his or her discretion, will
approximately 30 minutes before the start of the date of the sale unless otherwise agreed between us
generally open the bidding at 50% of the low pre- and the buyer.
sale to register in person. A prospective buyer must sale estimate for the lot. In the absence of a bid at
complete and sign a registration form and provide that level, the auctioneer will proceed backwards at (d) Packing, handling and shipping
identification before bidding. We may require the his or her discretion until a bid is recognized, and Although we shall use reasonable efforts to take care
production of bank or other financial references. then continue up from that amount. Absentee bids when handling, packing and shipping a purchased
(c) Bidding as principal will, in the absence of a higher bid, be executed at lot, we are not responsible for the acts or omissions
approximately 50% of the low pre-sale estimate or at of third parties whom we might retain for these
When making a bid, a bidder is accepting personal the amount of the bid if it is less than 50% of the low
liability to pay the purchase price, including the purposes. Similarly, where we may suggest other
pre-sale estimate. In the event that there is no bid on handlers, packers or carriers if so requested, we do
buyer’s premium and all applicable taxes, plus a lot, the auctioneer may deem such lot unsold. not accept responsibility or liability for their acts or
omissions.

220
Conditions of Sale

(e) Export licence (g) Failure to collect purchases (i) It does not apply where (a) the catalogue
Unless otherwise agreed by us in writing, the Where purchases are not collected within 35 description or saleroom notice corresponded
fact that the buyer wishes to apply for an export calendar days from the date of the sale, whether or to the generally accepted opinion of scholars
license does not affect his or her obligation to make not payment has been made, we shall be permitted or experts at the date of the sale or fairly
payment within seven days nor our right to charge to transfer the property to our Long Island City indicated that there was a conflict of opinions;
interest or storage charges on late payment. If the facility at the buyer’s expense, and only release or (b) correct identification of a lot can be
buyer requests us to apply for an export license on the items after payment in full has been made of demonstrated only by means of either a
his or her behalf, we shall be entitled to make a transportation, administration, handling, insurance scientific process not generally accepted for
charge for this service. We shall not be obliged to and any other costs incurred, together with payment use until after publication of the catalogue or
rescind a sale nor to refund any interest or other of all other amounts due to us or our affiliates. a process which at the date of publication of
expenses incurred by the buyer where payment is the catalogue was unreasonably expensive or
made by the buyer in circumstances where an export (h) Selling Property at Christie’s impractical or likely to have caused damage to
license is required. In addition to expenses such as transport and the property.
insurance, all consignors pay a commission (ii) The benefits of the warranty are not assignable
(f) Remedies for non payment according to a fixed scale of charges based upon and shall apply only to the original buyer of
If the buyer fails to make payment in full in good the value of the property sold by the consignor the lot as shown on the invoice originally
cleared funds within the time required by paragraph at Christie’s in a calendar year. Commissions are issued by Christie’s when the lot was sold at
4(b) above, we shall be entitled in our absolute charged on a sale by sale basis. auction.
discretion to exercise one or more of the following (iii) The original buyer must have remained the
rights or remedies (in addition to asserting any other 5. EXTENT OF CHRISTIE’S LIABILITY owner of the lot without disposing of any
rights or remedies available to us by law): We agree to refund the purchase price in the interest in it to any third party.
circumstances of the Limited Warranty set out in (iv) The buyer’s sole and exclusive remedy against
(i) to charge interest at such rate as we shall
paragraph 6 below. Apart from that, neither the Christie’s and the seller, in place of any
reasonably decide;
seller nor we, nor any of our officers, employees other remedy which might be available, is
(ii) to hold the defaulting buyer liable for the or agents, are responsible for the correctness of any the cancellation of the sale and the refund of
total amount due and to commence legal statement of whatever kind concerning any lot, the original purchase price paid for the lot.
proceedings for its recovery together with whether written or oral, nor for any other errors or Neither Christie’s nor the seller will be liable
interest, legal fees and costs to the fullest omissions in description or for any faults or defects for any special, incidental or consequential
extent permitted under applicable law; in any lot. Except as stated in paragraph 6 below, damages including, without limitation, loss of
(iii) to cancel the sale; neither the seller, ourselves, our officers, employees profits nor for interest.
(iv) to resell the property publicly or privately on or agents, give any representation, warranty or (v) The buyer must give written notice of claim
such terms as we shall think fit; guarantee or assume any liability of any kind in to us within five years from the date of the
(v) to pay the seller an amount up to the net respect of any lot with regard to merchantability, auction. It is Christie’s general policy, and
proceeds payable in respect of the amount bid fitness for a particular purpose, description, size, Christie’s shall have the right, to require the
by the defaulting buyer; quality, condition, attribution, authenticity, rarity, buyer to obtain the written opinions of two
(vi) to set off against any amounts which we, importance, medium, provenance, exhibition recognized experts in the field, mutually
or Christie’s International plc, or any of its history, literature or historical relevance. Except acceptable to Christie’s and the buyer, before
affiliates, subsidiaries or parent companies as required by local law any warranty of any kind Christie’s decides whether or not to cancel the
worldwide, may owe the buyer in any whatsoever is excluded by this paragraph. sale under the warranty.
other transactions, the outstanding amount (vi) The buyer must return the lot to the Christie’s
remaining unpaid by the buyer; 6. LIMITED WARRANTY saleroom at which it was purchased in the
(vii) where several amounts are owed by the buyer Subject to the terms and conditions of this same condition as at the time of the sale.
to us, or to Christie’s International plc, or paragraph, Christie’s warrants for a period of five
to any of its affiliates, subsidiaries or parent years from the date of the sale that any property 7. COPYRIGHT
companies worldwide, in respect of different described in headings printed in UPPER CASE The copyright in all images, illustrations and written
transactions, to apply any amount paid to TYPE (i.e. headings having all capital-letter type) in material produced by or for Christie’s relating to a
discharge any amount owed in respect of any this catalogue (as such description may be amended lot including the contents of this catalogue, is and
particular transaction, whether or not the by any saleroom notice or announcement) which shall remain at all times the property of Christie’s
buyer so directs; is stated without qualification to be the work of a and shall not be used by the buyer, nor by anyone
(viii) to reject at any future auction any bids made named author or authorship, is authentic and not a else, without our prior written consent. Christie’s
by or on behalf of the buyer or to obtain a forgery. The term “author” or “authorship” refers and the seller make no representation or warranty
deposit from the buyer before accepting any to the creator of the property or to the period, that the buyer of a property will acquire any
bids; culture, source or origin, as the case may be, with copyright or other reproduction rights in it.
(ix) to exercise all the rights and remedies of a which the creation of such property is identified in
person holding security over any property in the UPPER CASE description of the property in
this catalogue. Only UPPER CASE TYPE headings 8. SEVERABILITY
our possession owned by the buyer, whether If any part of these Conditions of Sale is found by
by way of pledge, security interest or in any of lots in this catalogue indicate what is being
warranted by Christie’s. Christie’s warranty does any court to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable,
other way, to the fullest extent permitted by that part shall be discounted and the rest of the
the law of the place where such property is not apply to supplemental material which appears
below the UPPER CASE TYPE headings of each conditions shall continue to be valid to the fullest
located. The buyer will be deemed to have extent permitted by law.
granted such security to us and we may retain lot and Christie’s is not responsible for any errors or
such property as collateral security for such omissions in such material. The terms used in the
headings are further explained in Important Notices 9. LAW AND JURISDICTION
buyer’s obligations to us;
and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice. The The rights and obligations of the parties with respect
(x) to take such other action as we deem necessary warranty does not apply to any heading which is to these Conditions of Sale, the conduct of the
or appropriate. stated to represent a qualified opinion. The warranty auction and any matters connected with any of the
If we resell the property under paragraph (iv) above, is subject to the following: foregoing shall be governed and interpreted by the
the defaulting buyer shall be liable for payment of laws of the jurisdiction in which the auction is held.
any deficiency between the total amount originally By bidding at auction, whether present in person or
due to us and the price obtained upon resale as well by agent, by written bid, telephone or other means,
as for all costs, expenses, damages, legal fees and the buyer shall be deemed to have submitted, for the
commissions and premiums of whatever kind benefit of Christie’s, to the exclusive jurisdiction of
associated with both sales or otherwise arising from the courts of that country, state, county or province,
the default. If we pay any amount to the seller under and (if applicable) of the federal courts sitting in
paragraph (v) above, the buyer acknowledges that such state.
Christie’s shall have all of the rights of the seller,
however arising, to pursue the buyer for such amount.

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 WorldWide SaleroomS and officeS

ARGENTINA CANADA INDIA MEXICO

BUENOS AIRES TORONTO • PARIS • MUMBAI MEXICO CITY

+54 11 43 93 42 22 +1 416 960 2063 +33 (0)1 40 76 85 85 +91 (22) 2280 7905 +52 55 5281 5503
Cristina Carlisle Brett Sherlock Menaka Kumari-Shah Gabriela Lobo
POITOU-CHARENTE Sonal Singh
AUSTRALIA CHILE AQUITAINE MONACO
+33 (0)5 56 81 65 47 INDONESIA +377 97 97 11 00
SYDNEY SANTIAGO Nancy Dotta
+61 (0)2 9326 1422 +56 2 2 2631642 Marie-Cécile Moueix JAKARTA
Ronan Sulich Denise Ratinoff +62 (0)21 7278 6268 THE NETHERLANDS
de Lira PROVENCE - ALPES Selina Patta Sumbung
AUSTRIA CÔTE D’AZUR • AMSTERDAM
COLOMBIA Priscilla Tiara Masagung
+33 (0)6 71 99 97 67 +31 (0)20 57 55 255
VIENNA
BOGOTA Fabienne Albertini-Cohen ISRAEL
+43 (0)1 533 8812 PEOPLES REPUBLIC
Angela Baillou +57 312 421 1509 TEL AVIV OF CHINA
RHÔNE ALPES
Juanita Madrinan
+33 (0)6 61 81 82 53 +972 (0)3 695 0695
BELGIUM BEIJING
DENMARK Dominique Pierron Roni Gilat-Baharaff
+86 (0)10 6500 6517
BRUSSELS (Consultant)
COPENHAGEN ITALY
+32 (0)2 512 88 30 • HONG KONG
Roland de Lathuy +45 3962 2377 GERMANY • MILAN +852 2760 1766
Birgitta Hillingso
+39 02 303 2831
BERMUDA (Consultant) DÜSSELDORF • SHANGHAI
+ 45 2612 0092 +49 (0)21 14 91 59 30 ROME +86 (0)21 6279 8773
BERMUDA Rikke Juel Brandt
Arno Verkade +39 06 686 3333 Jinqing Cai
+1 401 849 9222 (Consultant)
Betsy Ray FRANKFURT JAPAN PORTUGAL
FINLAND AND THE
BRAZIL +49 (0)61 74 20 94 85 LISBON
BALTIC STATES TOKYO
Anja Schaller
+81 (0)3 6267 1766 +351 919 317 233
RIO DE JANEIRO HELSINKI
HAMBURG Ryutaro Katayama Mafalda Pereira Coutinho
+5521 2225 6553 +358 (0)9 608 212 (Independent Consultant)
Candida Sodre +49 (0)40 27 94 073
Barbro Schauman MALAYSIA
(Consultant) Christiane Gräfin
SÃO PAULO zu Rantzau
KUALA LUMPUR
+5511 3061 2576 FRANCE
MUNICH +60 3 6207 9230
Nathalie Lenci Lim Meng Hong
BRITTANY AND THE +49 (0)89 24 20 96 80
LOIRE VALLEY Marie Christine Gräfin
+33 (0)6 09 44 90 78 Huyn
Virginie Greggory
STUTTGART
(Consultant) +49 (0)71 12 26 96 99
Eva Susanne
GREATER EASTERN Schweizer
FRANCE
+33 (0)6 07 16 34 25
Jean-Louis Janin Daviet
(Consultant)

NORD-PAS DE CALAIS
+33 (0)6 09 63 21 02
Jean-Louis Brémilts
(Consultant)

• DENOTES SALEROOM
11/09/13
ENQUIRIES? — Call the Saleroom or Office EMAIL — info@christies.com

222
 RUSSIA SWITZERLAND UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES

MOSCOW • GENEVA • LONDON, BOSTON

+7 495 937 6364 +41 (0)22 319 1766 KING STREET +1 617 536 6000
+44 20 7389 2318 Eveline de Proyart +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Elizabeth M. Chapin
Katya Vinokurova
• ZURICH • LONDON, CHICAGO
SINGAPORE +41 (0)44 268 1010 SOUTH KENSINGTON +1 312 787 2765
Dr. Bertold Mueller +44 (0)20 7930 6074 Lisa Cavanaugh
SINGAPORE
+65 6235 3828 TAIWAN NORTH DALLAS
Wen Li Tang +44 (0)20 7752 3004 +1 214 599 0735
TAIPEI Capera Ryan
Thomas Scott
SOUTH AFRICA +886 2 2736 3356
Ada Ong SOUTH HOUSTON
CAPE TOWN
+44 (0)1730 814 300 +1 713 802 0191
+27 (21) 761 2676 THAILAND Jessica Phifer
Mark Wrey
Juliet Lomberg BANGKOK
EAST LOS ANGELES
(Independent +66 (0)2 652 1097 +1 310 385 2600
+44 (0)20 7752 3310
Consultant) Yaovanee Nirandara Andrea Fiuczynski
Punchalee Phenjati Simon Reynolds
Mark Newstead
DURBAN & Thomas Scott MIAMI
TURKEY
JOHANNESBURG +1 305 445 1487
+27 (31) 207 8247 ISTANBUL NORTHWEST Jessica Katz
Gillian Scott-Berning +90 (532) 558 7514 AND WALES
NEWPORT
(Independent Eda Kehale Argün +44 (0)20 7752 3376
Mark Newstead +1 401 849 9222
(Consultant)
Consultant) Jane Blood Betsy D. Ray
UNITED ARAB
WESTERN CAPE SCOTLAND • NEW YORK
+27 (44) 533 5178 EMIRATES
+44 (0)131 225 4756 +1 212 636 2000
Annabelle Conyngham • DUBAI Bernard Williams
PALM BEACH
(Independent +971 (0)4 425 5647 Robert Lagneau
David Bowes-Lyon +1 561 833 6952
Consultant) Chaden Khoury
Maura Smith
(Consultant)
SOUTH KOREA PHILADELPHIA
ISLE OF MAN
SEOUL +44 1624 814502 +1 610 520 1590
+82 2 720 5266 Mark Newstead Christie Lebano
(Consultant)
Hye-Kyung Bae SAN FRANCISCO
CHANNEL ISLANDS +1 415 982 0982
SPAIN
+44 (0)1534 485 988 Ellanor Notides
BARCELONA Melissa Bonn
+34 (0)93 487 8259
IRELAND
Carmen Schjaer +353 (0)59 86 24996
MADRID
+34 (0)91 532 6626
Juan Varez
Dalia Padilla

For a complete salerooms & offices listing go to christies.com

11/09/13

223
 Christie’s Specialist Departments and Services

DEPARTMENTS COSTUME, TEXTILES AND OLD MASTER DRAWINGS AUCTION SERVICES CHRISTIE’S
FANS NY: +1 212 636 2120 INTERNATIONAL
AFRICAN AND OCEANIC SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3215 CHRISTIE’S AUCTION REAL ESTATE
ART OLD MASTER PAINTINGS ESTIMATES New York
PAR: +33 (0)140 768 386 ENTERTAINMENT AND 19TH CENTURY Tel: +1 212 492 5485 Tel: +1 212 468 7182
NY: +1 212 484 4898 MEMORABILIA EUROPEAN ART Fax: +1 212 468 7141
Fax: +1 212 636 4930
SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3281 NY: +1 212 636 2120 Email:
www.christies.com
AMERICAN DECORATIVE info@christiesrealestate.com
ARTS FOLK ART PHOTOGRAPHS
CORPORATE
NY: +1 212 636 2230 NY: +1 212 636 2230 NY: +1 212 636 2330 COLLECTIONS London
Tel: +1 212 636 2901 Tel: +44 (0)20 7389 2551
AMERICAN FURNITURE FURNITURE PICTURE FRAMES Fax: +44 (0)20 7389 2168
NY: +1 212 636 2200 SK: +44 (0)20 7389 2763 Fax: +1 212 636 4929
NY: +1 212 636 2230 Email:
Email: celkies@christies.com
info@christiesrealestate.com
AMERICAN ART HOUSE SALES POST WAR AND
SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3260 CONTEMPORARY ART ESTATES AND Hong Kong
NY: +1 212 636 2140 APPRAISALS
NY: +1 212 636 2100 Tel: +852 2978 6788
ANGLO-INDIAN ART ICONS Tel: +1 212 636 2400
Fax: +852 2845 2646
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2570 SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3261 POSTERS Fax: +1 212 636 2370
Email:
SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3208 Email: info@christies.com info@christiesrealestate.com
ANTIQUITIES IMPRESSIONIST AND
NY: +1 212 636 2245 MODERN ART PRINTS MUSEUM SERVICES CHRISTIE’S FINE ART
NY: +1 212 636 2050 NY: +1 212 636 2290 Tel: +1 212 636 2620 STORAGE SERVICES
ASIAN 20TH CENTURY Fax: +1 212 636 4931 London
AND CONTEMPORARY INDIAN AND SOUTHEAST RUSSIAN Email: awhiting@christies.com
ASIAN ART WORKS OF ART +44 (0)20 7622 0609
ART london@cfass.com
NY: +1 212 468 7133 NY: +1 212 636 2190 NY: +1 212 636 2260
New York
AUSTRALIAN PICTURES INDIAN CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS OTHER SERVICES +1 212 974 4579
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2040 ART SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3286 newyork@cfass.com
NY: +1 212 636 2190 CHRISTIE’S EDUCATION
BOOKS AND KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2700 SCULPTURE New York Singapore
MANUSCRIPTS KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2331 Tel: +1 212 355 1501 Tel: +65 6543 5252
NY: +1 212 636 2665 INTERIORS SK: +44 (0)20 7389 2794 Fax: +1 212 355 7370 Email: singapore@cfass.com
NY: +1 212 636 2032 Email: christieseducation@
BRITISH & IRISH ART SK: +44 (0)20 7389 2236 SILVER christies.edu CHRISTIE’S REDSTONE
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2682 NY: +1 212 636 2250 Tel: +1 212 974 4500
NY: +1 212 636 2120 ISLAMIC WORKS OF ART Hong Kong
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2370 TOPOGRAPHICAL Tel: +852 2978 6747
SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3257
SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3239 PICTURES Fax: +852 2525 3856
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2040 Email: hkcourse@christies.com
BRITISH ART ON PAPER
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2278 JAPANESE ART SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3291 London
SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3293 NY: +1 212 636 2160 Tel: +44 (0)20 7665 4350
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2595 TWENTIETH CENTURY
NY: +1 212 636 2120 DECORATIVE ART Fax: +44 (0)20 7665 4351
AND DESIGN Email:
BRITISH PICTURES JEWELLERY education@christies.com
1500-1850 NY: +1 212 636 2300 NY: +1 212 636 2240
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2945 Paris
KOREAN ART VICTORIAN PICTURES Tel: +33 (0)1 42 25 10 90
CARPETS NY: +1 212 636 2165 KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2468 Fax: +33 (0)1 42 25 10 91
NY: +1 212 636 2217 SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3257 Email:
LATIN AMERICAN ART ChristiesEducationParis@
CERAMICS AND GLASS NY: +1 212 636 2150 WATCHES christies.com
NY: +1 212 636 2215 NY: +1 212 636 2320
MINIATURES
CHINESE PAINTINGS NY: +1 212 636 2250 WINE
NY: +1 212 636 2195 NY: +1 212 636 2270
MODERN DESIGN
CHINESE WORKS OF ART SK: +44 (0)20 7389 2142
NY: +1 212 636 2180 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
NY: +1 212 636 2000 KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS:
CLOCKS
KS: +44 (0)20 7389 2357 KS: London, King Street
NINETEENTH CENTURY
CORKSCREWS
FURNITURE AND NY: New York,
SCULPTURE
SK: +44 (0)20 7752 3263 Rockefeller Plaza
NY: +1 212 707 5910
PAR: Paris
OBJECTS OF VERTU
NY: +1 212 636 2250 SK: London,
South Kensington

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 PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF ERIC MARTIN WUNSCH
A CHIPPENDALE CARVED MAHOGANY SCALLOP-TOP TEA TABLE, PROBABLY THE SHOP OF BENJAMIN RANDOLPH (1737-1791)
WITH CARVING POSSIBLY BY RICHARD BUTTS, PHILADELPHIA, CIRCA 1770
approximately 28 in. high, 32¼ in. diameter
$800,000 – 1,200,000

Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Decorative Arts

New York • 24 January 2014

Viewing Contact christies.com

18–23 January Andrew Holter
20 Rockefeller Plaza aholter@christies.com
New York, NY 10020 +1 212 636 2230
 © DACS, 2013

Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Auction

London, King Street • 12 February 2014

Contact JOSEF ALBERS (1888-1976)

Beatriz Ordovas Study for Homage to the Square: Firmament
signed with the artist’s monogram and dated `A 65’ (lower right); signed, titled and
bordovas@christies.com
dated `Study for Homage to the Square: “Firmament” Albers 1965’ (on the reverse)
+44 (0) 20 7389 2920 oil on masonite, 24 x 24in. (61 x 61cm.)
Painted in 1965
 FRANCISCO JOSÉ DE GOYA Y LUCIENTES (1746 – 1828)
La Tauromaquia (D. 224-56; H. 204-36)
the complete set of 33 etchings with burnished aquatint, drypoint and engraving,
1816, First Edition, fne, early impressions.
$450,000 – 650,000

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

Graphic Masterpieces from a Private Collection
New York • 28 January 2014

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229
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Christie’s

CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL PLC VICE PRESIDENTS ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTS

Patricia Barbizet, Chairman Stuart Alexander, Reginald Brack, Michael Bass, Elizabeth Addington, Charles Antin,
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Deborah Coy, Ginette Dean, Anna Diehl, Eileen Brankovic, Julie Brener, Rebecca Brey,
CHRISTIE’S EXECUTIVE Edouard du Breuil, Ingrid Dudek, Ana Maria Celis, Ilya Cherepakhin, Anne Dayton,
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CHRISTIE’S AMERICAS Elizabeth Hammer-Munemura, Margaret Gristina, Jayme Gruetzmacher,
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CHAIRMAN’S OFFICE
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Jeanne Sloane, Deputy Chairman Joanna Ostrem, Elisabeth Poole Parker, Laryssa Zalisko
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Thomas Root, Leslie Roskind, William Russell, CHRISTIE’S
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS
Christopher Sanger, Gregory Sarancha, AMERICAN ADVISORY BOARD
Tunde Adenuga, John Auerbach, Martha Baer, Fikriye Selen-Okatan, Andrew Seltzer,
Vivian Bakmas-Pfeiffer, Heather Barnhart, The Lord Carrington, KG, Honorary Chairman
Xan Serafin, Brian Shaw, Maura Smith, John L. Vogelstein, Chairman
Gerard Barrett, Wendy Battleson, Muys Snijders, Elizabeth Sterling,
G. Max Bernheimer, Samantha Bing, Stephen S. Lash, Vice Chairman
Bliss Summers, Scott Torrence, Arianna Tosto, Ashton Hawkins, Esq., Secretary
Bonnie Brennan, Thomas Burstein, Robert Tuzzo, Terence Vetter, Carina Villinger,
Lisa Cavanaugh, Elizabeth M. Chapin, Herb Allen, Elizabeth Ballantine, Charlie Blaquier,
Hartley Waltman, Sarah Wendell, Melva Bucksbaum, Christina Chandris,
Kenneth Citron, Sandra Cobden, Chris Coover, Helen Williams, Nicholas Wilson,
Carrie Dillon, Monica Dugot, Cathy Elkies, Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Bruno Eberli,
Alan Wintermute, Jennifer Wright, Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat, Guido Goldman,
Lea Emery, Sheri Farber, Lydia Fenet, Timothy Yule, Jennifer Yum, Steven J. Zick
Jennifer Glaisek Ferguson, Andrea Fiuczynski, J Tomilson Hill III, Barbara Jakobson,
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Keren Gottesman, Loic Gouzer, Karen Gray, Ambassador William H. Luers, Li Chung Pei,
Jennifer K. Hall, Jean-Christophe Harel, Jeffrey E. Perelman, Tara Rockefeller, Denise Saul,
Sam Hines, Lori Hotz, Rahul Kadakia, Andrew N. Schiff, M.D., Clifford M. Sobel,
Kathy Kaplan, Karen Karp, Julie Kim, Michael Steinhardt, Archbold D. van Beuren,
Sharon Kim, Stefan Kist, Peter Kloman, Casey Wasserman, John C. Whitehead
Jonathan Laib, Brooke Lampley, Regan Lynn
Larroque, Daphne Lingon, Richard Lloyd,
Maria C. Los, Robert Manley, Andrew Massad, INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
Alexis McCarthy, Adrien Meyer, Maura Benjamin, Helen Cluett,
Michelle Meyercord, Richard Nelson, Patricia Hernandez, Nathalie Gerschel Kaplan,
Shira Nichaman, Ellanor Notides, Konrad Keesee, Mary Libby,
Tash Perrin, Annette Phillips, John Reardon, The Paper used in this catalogue Eduardo Molina-Dubost, Brenda Norris,
Margot Rosenberg, Leslie Roskind, has been manufactured at a mill Nuala Pell, Kelly Perry, Denise Ratinoff,
Capera Ryan, Caroline Sayan, Brett Sherlock, which has been awarded the Nancy Rome
Will Strafford, Toby Usnik, Sarah Vandeweerdt, ISO 14001 for Environment
Management and is a registered
Francis Wahlgren, Hugo Weihe, Amy Wexler,
mill within EMAS (the EU Eco-
Barrett White, Allison Whiting, Marissa Wilcox, Management and Audit Scheme)
Jody Wilkie, Tom Woolston, Steven Wrightson,
Katsura Yamaguchi, Jennifer Zatorski
Printed in England by
© Christie, Manson & Woods Ltd. (2014)
Catalogue photo credits: Reid Baker,
Douglas Ho

12/12/13

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232
Index

A I N
Albertinelli 103 Isenbrandt 159 Naldini 170
Allori 168, 173 Italian School 154 Netherlandish School 106
Amberger 163 J North Italian School 119
Aretino 124 Jacopo de’ Barbari 109 O

B L van Orley 153

de’ Barbari 109 Leonardo da Vinci 141 P
Bassano 116 Lombard School 113 Paduan School 120
Biagio d’Antonio 130 de Lonhy 147 Paludanus 145
Botticelli 102, 136-137, 144 Lorenzo di Credi 134 Panciatico di Antonello da
van den Broeck 145 Lorenzo Monaco 104 Calvi 139
Bruyn 152 Lotto 111 Paolo di Giovanni Fei 125
Bugiardini 103 Peterzano 117
C Polidoro da Lanciano 114
M
da Calvi 139 da Ponte 116
Master of the Argonauts 101
Carucci 166 Pontormo 166
Master of Borgo alla Collina
Castello 118 Portelli 169
123
Cavalori 171 Provost 156
Master of Cabassers 148
Cernotto 110 Pulzone 175
Master of the Crucifix no.
Ciampanti 140 434 121 R
van Cleve 160 Master of the Fiesole della Robbia, A. 132
del Conte 174 Epiphany 131 della Robbia, G. 143
Cranach 161, 164-165 Master of the Lille Adoration Romano 128
di Credi 134 149 Rothschild Prayerbook, 157
Master of the Misericordia S
D
126 Sanguigni 127
David 158
Master of Panzano 122 Sano di Pietro 129
Dossi 115
Master of the Plump-Cheeked Sellaio 101
Dürer 162
Madonnas 105 Severo da Ravenna 107
F Master of the Stern Virgin and Signorelli 142
Franco-Flemish School 150 Child 155
Spanzotti 146
G Master of Stratonice 140
Spinello 124
il Genovese 118 Master of the Trinity of Turin
T
Ghiberti 138 147
Mazzolino 112 Tommaso 133
Giovanni da Bologna 108
Monaco 104 Tosini 167
Gregorio di Lorenzo 135
V
H
Vasari 172
Holbein 151

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