Giovanni Battista Salvi, called Sassoferrato

Given to Provosto Morselli by the heirs, presumably of the Veronici family (according to an inscription on the verso).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is in remarkable condition. The canvas has never been removed from its original stretcher. The inscription on the reverse is clearly visible and undamaged. The paint layer itself is very slightly dirty and dully varnished, but not damaged or over cleaned in any significant way. There are a few tiny isolated spots of retouch in both faces. Across the bottom above the right hand of Mary and through the white sheet wrapped around the child, there is a slight paint loss which has been restored, which is most likely associated to a stretcher mark. There are also a few dots of retouch in Christ's body and face. The condition generally is marvelous. As a work of art it reads well as is, and it has the unusual aspect of being still on its original stretcher. Whether one attempts to relax the waves in the canvas which exist at present, is a matter of taste.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Giovanni Battista Salvi, more commonly known as 'il Sassoferato', after the town in which he was born, learned the rudiments of painting from his father Tarquino before embarking on a trip to Rome. There he studied the works of his contemporaries, including Reni, Domenichino, and the Carracci. His greatest influence, however, was Raphael and he is known to have directly copied the latter's compositions (see, for example, Sassoferato's Madonna and Child in the Galleria Sabauda, Turin [inv. no. 482], which is directly based on Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks on loan to the National Gallery, London). Despite being an accomplished portraitist, Sassoferato specialized in easel paintings of a devotional nature, usually representing the Madonna alone or with the Christ Child, of which the present composition is an outstanding example. The large number of autograph and studio replicas of Sassoferrato's compositions attest to the popularity they enjoyed within the artist's own lifetime.  

The present composition, showing the Madonna enveloping the Christ Child in a protective gesture, was certainly one of Sassoferato's most celebrated and was utilized by Sassoferato throughout his career. Some examples include putti in the upper corners, as well as others which often depict the Christ child sleeping (see, for example, sold New York, Sotheby's, January 25, 2007, lot 47, for $168,000). This particular painting, of upright format and without putti, is in wonderfully fresh condition, unlined, and in its original stretcher. It retains the lush coloring, most clearly visible in the Madonna's drapery, which is complemented by the rosy skin of both figures. With the Child's head carefully nestled in the embrace of the Madonna, the emotion conveyed from this devotional image is completely consistent with other pictures of a similar type by Sassoferato.