Matteo di Giovanni

George Blumenthal (1856-1941), New York, by 1921;
By whom bequeathed to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1941, inv. no. 41.190.29.

F. Mason Perkins, "Some Sienese Paintings in American Collections: Part Four," in Art in America, 9, February 1921, pp. 50, 55, reproduced fig. 6 (as Matteo di Giovanni and already in the Blumenthal collection);
S. Rubinstein-Bloch, "Paintings—Early Schools," in Catalogue of the Collection of George and Florence Blumenthal, 1, Paris 1926, reproduced, plate XXIX (as Matteo di Giovanni);
F. Mason Perkins, in Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler, 24, Leipzig 1930, p. 256 (as by Matteo di Giovanni);
B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance, Oxford 1932, p. 351 (as Matteo di Giovanni);
M. Gengaro, "Matteo di Giovanni," in La Diana, 9, nos. 3–4, 1934, p. 182 (where listed among paintings variously attributed to Matteo di Giovanni; erroneously called Madonna e sei angeli);
B. Berenson, Pitture italiane del Rinascimento, Milan 1936, p. 302;
R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian Schools of Painting, The Renaissance Painters in Tuscany, vol. XVIII, The Hague 1937, p. 357 (where dated to the very last years of Matteo di Giovanni; related to a painting then in the Gualino collection, Turin [now Galleria Sabauda, Turin]);
B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: Central Italian and North Italian Schools, London 1968, vol. 1, p. 259 (as Studio of Matteo di Giovanni);
B.B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1972, pp. 139, 325, 377, 386, 422, 459, 461, 464, 608 (as Studio of Matteo di Giovanni);
F. Zeri and E.E. Gardner, Italian Paintings: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sienese and Central Italian Schools, New York 1980, p. 49, reproduced, plate 60 (as Workshop of Matteo di Giovanni);  
K. Baetjer, European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Artists Born in or Before 1865, New York 1980, vol. I, p. 122, reproduced, vol. II, p. 74 (as Workshop of Matteo di Giovanni di Bartolo);
K. Baetjer, European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Artists Born Before 1865, A Summary Catalogue, New York 1995, p. 61, reproduced (as Workshop of Matteo di Giovanni);
M.S. Frinta, "Part I: Catalogue Raisonné of All Punch Shapes," in Punched Decoration on Late Medieval Panel and Miniature Painting, Prague 1998, pp. 187, 352, 368, 406, 471 (as Matteo di Giovanni).

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 work on panel has been recently supported on the back and sides with wood. It seems that much of the frame, if not all of it, is not original. The work itself is probably clean, and the gilding is probably original. The blue of the Madonna's cloak is oxidized. Although there are a few restorations, they are not numerous. The retouches that have been applied are reasonably effective, but not as deft or well matched as they could be. If the retouches were re-examined, the work would certainly look better. There are retouches in the left hand of the Madonna along the bottom edge, beneath her right eye, and in a crack in the top of her forehead. There are also retouches in some cracking in the face of Christ, and in his upper chest. The Saints on the left side are in very good state. On the right side, the head of the Saint at the top has restorations in the forehead. The Saint in the center has restorations in his forehead, nose and hands. The lower Saint has restorations in his chin and left hand. There are some slight losses in the gilding, but the overall condition seems to be very good.
"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."

See note to the previous lot for a discussion of Matteo di Giovanni. In this panel, which is datable to the 1470s, several of the saints depicted cannot be recognized with certainty due to a lack of attributes. Running clockwise from upper left they should be identified as Catherine of Siena (one of the patron saints of Siena), an anonymous female saint, Bartholomew, Lawrence, a Franciscan monk and an anonymous male saint.