Pompeo Batoni

Henry Pelham Archibald Douglas Pelham-Clinton (1864-1928), 7th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme, by 1879;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 23 June 1967, lot 60, to Tooth;
Anonymous sale, Monaco, Christie's, 15 June 1986, lot 59;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 8 July 1987, lot 69;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 3 July 1991, lot 52.

Nottingham Castle, Midland Counties Art Museum, 1879.

A.M. Clark, Pompeo Batoni : A Complete Catalogue of his Works with an Introductory Text, ed. E.P. Bowron, Oxford 1985, pp. 217-18, cat. no. 30, reproduced plate 33.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The canvas is lined and the paint is stable. There is a raised ridge of paint to the lower right hand side and a recent small paint loss to the Madonna's robe; further restored paint losses can be seen to Christ's right eyebrow and forehead, his left hand and knee, to the Madonna's right hand and sleeve and there is a scattering across St. John's face and up into the background, some of which are visibly discoloured. The paint losses are only minor and have been well restored; the overall condition is very good and the paint texture is well preserved and the fine details, particularly to the faces and flesh tones are in tact. A moderate tonal improvement would be achieved with the removal of the varnish. Offered in a plain moulded gilt wood frame, with some losses."
"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."

This delightful painting of the Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist is a fine example of a religious painting by the Lucchese painter Pompeo Batoni. Better known for his close study of antiquity and the portraits he produced for the Grand Tourists, Batoni also became a highly respected history painter, receiving commissions from private individuals as well as the church in Rome. This is a relatively rare example of a non-secular work by the artist and paintings of a religious subject matter consitute barely a fifth of Batoni's total output.

The figures of the Madonna and Child are inspired by the central group in one of Batoni's most important early altarpieces; The Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth, Zacharias and the Infant Baptist, painted for the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano alla Scala, Milan, and moved to the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, after the church's suppression in 1796.¹  The altarpiece has been dated to circa 1738-40 on grounds of style and the existence of a sheet of preparatory drawings relating to the putti in the altarpiece seems to concur with this dating.²  The sheet also includes a sketch for the Allegory of Tranquillity in the Palazzo Colonna which was begun before 1738 and completed by 1740, indicating that Batoni was probably working on both projects concurrently in the late 1730s. Clark believed this canvas to be substantially autograph and painted at around the same time as the larger altarpiece so a similar dating of 1738-40 should be assumed here. Batoni probably received the commission from a patron seeking a religious painting for private devotion. The Madonna and Christ Child are shown in the same pose, although she is shown in three-quarter rather than full-length, and the figure of the Infant Saint John the Baptist is an entirely new invention. Although the same figure appears in the altarpiece, he shies away from the Madonna and Child and seeks refuge in the arms of Saint Elizabeth, whereas here the Baptist seems more confident and leans nonchalantly on the Madonna's left knee. The painting shows the influence of Raphael and Correggio, both of whom Batoni admired enormously. Correggio's sensuality and sentimental religiosity obviously struck a chord with Batoni, and for many artists working in Rome in the 17th and 18th centuries Raphael embodied artistic perfection: as a young man Batoni drew almost daily in the Vatican Stanze and Villa Farnesina.

1. See A.M. Clark, under Literature, p. 217, cat. no. 29, reproduced plate 32.
2. See K. Andrews, National Gallery of Scotland. Catalogue of Italian Drawings, Cambridge 1968, vol. I, p. 15, cat. no. D2148, reproduced vol. II, fig. 128.