Lot 72
  • 72

Francesco Solimena

Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Francesco Solimena
  • Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine
  • oil on unlined canvas

Provenance

Anonymous Sale, London, Sotheby's, July 3, 1996, lot 121;
With Thos. Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London, from whom purchased by the present collector.

Condition

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 canvas has a very old glue lining and still seems to be stretched on what appears to be its original stretcher. The paint layer has been cleaned more recently. The retouches and varnish are very attractive and the picture should be hung as is. Retouches are clearly visible under ultraviolet light in the dark colors around the heads of the two women, in the forehead of the Madonna, in the torso of the child and in his legs, and in the lower left in the fabric and the hand. In other areas of the upper background, in the lower right in the fabric, and in the left arm of the woman there are a few isolated but well applied restorations. This is not a picture without restoration yet it has been very well restored and looks well.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Based on photographs, Dr. Nicola Spinosa had confirmed the attribution to Solimena at the time of the 1996 sale (see Provenance).  Another version of the composition, smaller in size, is in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch.