Antonio di Benedetto Aquilio, called Antoniazzo Romano

Cardinal Paccas sale, Rome (as by Pinturicchio);
Casa Vasconcellas, Piazza d'Azeglio, Florence;
By whom sold circa 1929. 

G. Noehles, Antoniazzo Romano, unpublished dissertation, Westfalischen Wilhelms University, Münster 1973, no. 40, fig. 30C;
G. Hedberg, Antoniazzo Romano and His School, Ph.D dissertation, New York University, New York 1980, p. 226, no. 105, reproduced fig. 103.

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. The gilding behind the mother and child seems to be period, if not slightly worn. The frame is the original but may have received restorations over time. The work looks very presentable as is and apart from a small repair or two to the frame, no other restoration is required. In the figures themselves there are small spots of restoration visible under ultraviolet light in the faces, in the figure of Christ and in the hands. There are also some restorations in the shelf on which Christ stands and the red dress of the Madonna. The only concentration of retouches is in the top of the red dress. The red dress behind the child's right hand may have received slightly more restoration that other parts. The painting should be hung as is.
"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."

Romano had a thriving workshop in Rome and received prestigious commissions from the papal court and nobility as well as numerous requests from the growing bourgeoisie.  The most popular theme requested by these patrons was that of the Madonna and Child, pictured with and without saints and donors.  The facture of many of these compositions recalls motifs found in medieval and Byzantine iconography. In the present Madonna and Child the figures are solitary and placed within a solid gold background without any recession of space.  However, the tender expressions of both Madonna and Child are evocative and reflect the influence of Romano's contemporaries, Perugino and Pinturicchio.  

This painting relates in composition, in reverse sense and with some slight differences, to a painting in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (see A Cavallaro, Antoniazzo Romano e Gli Antoniazzeschi, Pasian di Prato 1992, p. 187, cat. no. 11, reproduced, fig. 27).  Both Madonnas have very gentle and serene expressions and their hands are in an almost identical position. Other works related to our picture are in the Institute of Art, Detroit; Pinacoteca di Fermo among others (see Cavallaro op cit., figs. 129, 132).