MASTER OF THE GREENVILLE TONDO | Madonna and Child between two saints

Johann Friedrich Vieweg (1761-1835).

F. Todini, La pittura umbra dal Duecento al primo Cinquecento, Milan 1989, vol. I, p. 197, reproduced vol. II, p. 570, fig. 1325.

The panel is marouflaged, flat and stable. The paint surface is only slightly dirty and the colours remain vibrant. A few small discoloured retouchings are visible in the forehead of the angel on the right and in Christ's face. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals two campaigns of restoration, the older one consisting largely of areas of retouching to the lower part of the Madonna's robe and pinprick restorations in the flesh tones. The more recent campaign is mainly scattered along horizontals in the wood grain: in the hair of the angel right, and between his head and the Madonna's, and into her hair; also small areas in her robe and a patch in her sleeve, measuring approx. 2 by 6 cm.; and a small area in the red robe of the angel, left, measuring approx. 2 by 4 cm. In overall good condition for a painting of this age.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This tondo is one of a small group of  works by the anonymous painter known as the Master of the Greenville Tondo. Federico Zeri isolated the personality of this painter around a tondo depicting the Madonna and Child with Angels in the collection of the Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.¹ Both Everett Fahy and Zeri subsequently added a number of compositions to his œuvre, categorising him as a close Tuscan follower of Perugino. The artist is extensively represented in Filippo Todini's book of 1989 (see Literature), in which it is possible to see the present work's close similarity to the Madonna and Child with two angels (formerly Galleria Salocchi, Florence), particularly in the disposition of the figures and the relationship between them, as well as in the highly decorative patterns of their clothing.² 1. Inv. no. 14.1; see A. Scharf, The Bob Jones University Collection of Religious Paintings, Greenville 1962, p. 54.
2. See Todini 1989, vol. I, p. 197, reproduced vol. II., p. 572, fig. 1327.