Master of Marradi active in Florence during the second half of the 15th Century

Alfred Hausammann, Zurich, by 1967;
His deceased sale, London, Christie's, 10 July 2002, lot 111, where acquired by the present owner.

E. Fahy, "Some Early Italian Pictures in the Gambier-Parry Collection", in The Burlington Magazine, vol. CIX, March 1967, p. 134, under note 30;
E. Fahy, Some Followers of Domenico Ghirlandaio, New York and London 1976, p. 184.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The poplar panel has been painted on the reverse. There is evidence of previous worm infestation and the panel has a slight curve. There are some restored vertical splits which are unstable. The paint surface is thin and abraded and has been augmented with restoration e.g. The shadows in the trees, the faces and hair of both figures, the flesh tones of St.John, Christ's tunic, the water and the boulder ,lower right. The yellow ground colour is evident where the paint layer is thin. The varnish is discoloured."
"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."

It was not until 1967 that Everett Fahy firmly attributed this panel to the Master of Marradi. This pupil of Domenico Ghirlandaio, active in Florence during the second half of the fifteenth century, had been called Maestro Tondo by Roberto Longhi after the rounded faces of his figures, but was renamed by Zeri in 1963. His name comes from the town of Marradi, to the north-east of Florence, where five pictures by the master can be found. His work was strongly influenced by Ghirlandaio, leading to some confusion between the two artists in the past.¹  Aside from religious works, the Master of Marradi also specialised in painting cassone panels depciting classical subjects; one such example was sold in London, Sotheby's, 8 July 1999, lot 63.

1.  See, for example, the panel offered London, Christie's, 21 April 1989, lot 118, which had formerly been wrongly attributed to Ghirlandaio.