Baccio della Porta, called Fra Bartolomeo

Purchased in Florence by George Nassau Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper (1738-1789), circa 1779, recorded in a manuscript list of his pictures, '12/ Un bozzetto della Traslazzione di S:Antonio- Fra: 1=8/1=6 [in piedi parigino]';
Thence by descent to Ethel, Lady Desborough (1867-1952), Panshanger, Hertfordshire;
By descent to The Hon. Lady Salmond (b. 1893);
Thence by descent to the present owner.

J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A New History of Painting in Italy, London 1866, III, pp. 466-468;
G. Vasari, Le Vite...., ed. H. Lücke, Kunst und Künstler., LIX, 59, p.70, no. 36, Florence 1879, IV, note, 'lo stesso signore [Lord Cowper] possiede uno schizzo, nel quale è raffigurata la canonizzazione di Sant' Antonino';
H. Lücke, Voce Fra' Bartolomeo, in I. Meyer, Allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon, III, Leipzig 1885, p. 71;
G. Gruyer, Fra Bartolommeo della Porta et Mariotto Albertinelli, Paris 1886, pp. 83-4;
B. Berenson, The Florentine Painters of the Renaissance, London 1896, p. 103; 3rd ed., 1908, p.113;
F. Knapp, Fra Bartolommeo della Porta und die Schule von S. Marco, 1903, p. 263;
F. Knapp, in Thieme-Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon von Bildenden Künstler, Leipzig, II, 1908, p. 565, where dated to circa 1514-5;
J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A History of Painting in Italy, 1914, VI, pp. 86-7;
P.M.L. Ferretti, 'Fra' Bartolomeo della Porta nel quarto centenario della sua morte, 1517-1917: discorso commemorativo letto nel convento di San Marco di Firenze', in Memorie Domenicane, 1917, p.40;
H. von der Gabelentz, Fra Bartolommeo, I, Leipzig 1922, p. 193, catalogued among works attributed to Fra Bartolommeo;
A. Venturi, Storia dell'arte italiana, vol. IX, 1, Milan 1925, p. 348;
M. Wackernagel, Der Lebensraum des Künstlers in der florentinischen Renaissance, Leipzig 1938, p.135;
H.G. Belsey, The Life and Collecting of George, 3rd Earl Cowper (1738-89), 1981, pp. 154-5, no. A21.

The catalogue illustration is representative. the support appears to consist of a thick panel with two vertical grooves chiselled into the reverse. The painting has undergone surface restoration, probably due to isolated wear of some of the pigments. There is, for example, some fairly extensive strengthening to the clothes of several of the figures and to the sky, and some retouchings to the wall of the temple and the adjacent buildings. There is an area of restored damage on and just above Saint Anthony. Sold with a gilt frame, in good condition.
"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."

The 1996 exhibition on Fra' Bartolomeo at the Palazzo Pitti, Florence, included a Studio version of this composition, which was sold New York, Christie's, 31 May 1989, lot 50. The catalogue incorrectly conflates its provenance with that of the present painting.¹

Vasari mentions Earl Cowper's (a descendant of the present owner) ownership of this painting.²

1. See L'età di Savonarola. Fra' Bartolomeo e la Scuola di San Marco, Florence, Palazzo Pitti, 1996, pp. 131-134, cat. no. 32, reproduced.
2. See Literature.