Bicci di Lorenzo

Monsieur L.C. Bresset, by 1952 (by whom lent to the exhibition in Marseille; see under Exhibited below).

Marseille, Galerie San-Michèle, Arts du Moyen-Age, 1949, no. 6;
Marseille, Musée Cantini, L'Art du Moyen Age, 1952, no. 5.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. There is evidence of some worm damage to the reverse of the panel but it is otherwise sound. The paint surface is stable but slightly raised in the gold ground. Small damage and loss to the halos of Christ, St. John and Mary Magdalene is visible along with pitting to the blue dress of the Madonna. Light abrasion to the gold in the background has revealed the red ground beneath. The paint of the figures is well preserved and many fine details are in good original condition. Removal of the discoloured varnish would improve tonality. Offered in an engaged frame, which has loss along the lower section."
"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."

According to an old inscription on the reverse, this panel was once considered to be Sienese and was formerly ascribed to the Master of the Codex of St. George. The attribution to Bicci di Lorenzo has been endorsed on the basis of photographs by Prof. Miklós Boskovits, to whom we are grateful.

The small oval-shaped area above the cross probably marks the site of where a small gem or relief was originally affixed, as the four nails either side of it also suggest.