Master of Lonigo

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 painting has been recently restored. The panel has received no attention on the reverse and although it is slightly bowed from left to right, the paint layer is stable and the painting is in attractive condition. The curved corners in the upper right and upper left are un-finished yet not unattractive. The cracking in the Child and to a lesser degree in the head and hands of the Madonna may have received slight small retouches. The foliage behind the figures seems to be in very good condition. There are isolated restorations in the blue row addressing some cracking. Very often gilding in works of this period has been augmented, but the general approach to the conservation throughout this picture is careful and respectful. The varnish is slightly glossy but the remainder of the work is very attractive.
"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."

The Master of Lonigo was an anonymous follower of Gentile da Fabriano and the Veronese painter Stefano da Zevio. He was active in the Venetian terra firma particularly around Verona in the first quarter of the fifteenth century, and his eponymous work is an altarpiece in the cathedral of Lonigo, near Vicenza.