Giambono di Corrado da Ragusa

Dr. J. Seymour Maynard, London;
Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Gentleman"), London, Sotheby's, 6 July 1966, lot 1 (as Alberti da Ferrara), for £1,100 to Graham.

"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 roughly azed on the reverse and there is evidence of previous worm infestation. A nail has caused a split from the top which is unstable. There are some small vertical splits from the bottom edge. The paint layer is raised and loose in some areas. There are restored paint losses to the edges and to the lower right and left corners. The original gold ground is thin and the ground colour is visible through it, there has been some augmentation here. There are areas of untouched original paint in good condition but the paint on the cross has been reinforced as has the saint's robe. The removal of the discoloured varnish would improve the tonality. Offered in a gilt wood frame fixed to the panel."
"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."

The attribution is due, on the basis of photographs, to Prof. Andrea de Marchi, to whom we are grateful.

This painting was traditionally attributed to Antonio di Guido Alberti da Ferrara (died before 1449), under whose name it was sold in these Rooms in 1966. It is, however, by an artist working in the close circle of Olivuccio di Ceccarello (formerly called 'Carlo da Camerino'), who was active in Ancona from 1388 to 1439. Giambono di Corrado da Ragusa was Olivuccio's closest follower and, as Prof. De Marchi has pointed out, much of his oeuvre remains unpublished.¹  His activity as a painter has been reconstructed around the frescoes showing Scenes from the life of Saint Benedict in the church of Santa Scolastica at Norcia, where he is documented in 1443, and those in the church of Santa Maria della Misericordia at Castelferretti near Ancona.

1. Studies on Giambono and on the artists working around Olivuccio di Ceccarello have been undertaken by Andrea de Marchi and Matteo Mazzalupi and the latter's research is due to be published shortly: M. Mazzalupi, "Intorno a Bartolomeo di Tommaso. Ricerche sulla 'Scuola di Ancona'", in Nuovi studi sulla pittura tardogotica. Intorno a Gentile da Fabriano, Atti del Convegno di Fabriano, 31 May 2006, ed. A. De Marchi, Livorno, pp. 115-32.