Giovanni Battista Salvi, called Sassoferrato

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 can be hung in its current condition. In the background in the center of the left side, there is a complex, but small, tear that has been restored very successfully. Elsewhere in the picture, almost all of the retouches address small spots of thinness to the paint layer. The blue robe, with hardly any restorations, is a notable exception. There are small spots of restoration which have been very carefully and accurately applied throughout the remainder of the picture addressing tiny losses and patches of thinness.
"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."

This composition, showing the Madonna enveloping the Christ Child in a protective gesture, was certainly one of Sassoferrato's most celebrated and was utilized by the artist throughout his career. Some examples include putti in the upper corners (Pavia, Pinacoteca Malaspina; see A. Salvoni, Giovan Battista Salvi il Sassoferrato, exhibition catalogue, Sassoferrato, June 29 -October 14, 1990, p. 98, cat. no. 37) as well as others which often depict the figures of Mother and Child alone, as in the present example . This particular painting, of horizontal format and without putti, retains its lush coloring, most clearly visible in the Madonna's drapery, which is complemented by the rosy skin of both figures. With the Child's head carefully nestled in the embrace of the Madonna, the emotion conveyed from this devotional image is completely consistent with other pictures of a similar type by Sassoferrato. 

We are grateful to M. François Macé de Lépinay for confirming the attribution of the present picture to Sassoferrato. He plans to include it in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist.