Italian, Tuscany, early 14th century

The Robert von Hirsch Collection, sold Sotheby's, 22 June 1978, volume 2, Works of Art, lot 384

There are are some inclusions and wear to the marble consistent with age and material. There are some chips to the surface, particularly to the drapery at the underside of the sculpture, the right knee and drapery in the Virgin's stomach area. There are several old restorations, particularly to the lower part of the drapery, the edges of the fold coming of the Virgin's right arm, the book, the Virgin's neck nose and forehead above the proper right eye. The upper body of the child has been repaired.
"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 enchanting marble group of the Madonna and Child, which in the 20th century was in the collection of Robert von Hirsch, is exemplary of the flourishing of the arts in the early phase of the Gothic period in Tuscany. In terms of the smooth modelling and soft drapery folds, the group compares well with the figures on the relief of the Madonna and Child with Angels by an anonymous sculptor known as the 'Master of the San Michele in Borgo Pulpit' (London, Victoria & Albert Museum). This follower of the great innovator Giovanni Pisano – the true counterpart in the field of sculpture of Giotto's rethinking of the human figure and of pictorial space – was active in Pisa in the first quarter of the fourteenth century. Dissimilarities are largely due to a later repair, principally concerning the lowermost part of the Virgin's legs, as indicated by the oblique line between the old and new marble. The Madonna in the Victoria & Albert Museum shows more undulating drapery lines, especially hanging from her left knee, but the present Madonna displays them most elegantly in her headscarf.

This lyricism of ornamental lines reflects the tender approach to surface matter, which the Sienese master Simone Martini brought to perfection in his hometown, in Assisi, and at the papal court in Avignon. The elongation of the Virgin's upper body and of her oval face also reveals an interest of the sculptor in the novel approach to the human body in contemporary painting. Liveliness is added to the composition by the acrobatic pose of the little Jesus, who balances with his wide-spread legs between the throne and a thick drapery fold in front of his mother's belly, while he grasps her at her upper arm. A detail such as that is not at all unique in Gothic sculpture (the Sienese Giovanni di Agostino, for instance, employed it in his Madonna and Child with Saints Catherine and John the Baptist, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio), but together with the Mother's loving gaze towards Her little son, who reads from the book which She holds for Him like a mirror (perhaps a witty allusion to the beginning of the Gospel of Saint John), it constitutes a momentary composition of charming intimacy.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Pope-Hennessy, Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1964, vol. 1, pp. 31sq. & vol. 3, pl. 41; R. Bartalini, Scultura gotica in Toscana: maestri, monumenti, cantieri del Due e Trecento, Cinisello Balsamo, 2005, p. 311