Giovanni di Niccolò Mansueti

Mayer Collection, St. Moritz, Switzerland;
Acquired from the above by the present owner in the 1950s.

The catalogue illustration is much too red in tone. The support panel has an old cradle on the reverse and is flat and stable. There is an old and uneven horizontal split running across the panel at the height of the chest of Christ which has opened slightly. There is a smaller crack running in from the left edge just above this as far as the chin of Saint Francis. The painting itself is now very dirty and the varnish layer very discoloured. There are some minor scattered old losses and flakes to the margins along the centre of the bottom edge and again on the lower half of the right hand edge. Beneath this the paint surface appears to be in very nice condition, with no major damages or repairs in evidence. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals a few old retouchings to the panel split, and to scattered old flakes or losses, most notably around the Madonna's chin and cheek and the lap of the Christ Child, and to various minor local repairs. This lot is sold with a gilt tabernacle 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."

Giovanni Mansueti was a pupil of Gentile Bellini in Venice, and indeed signed himself as such in an early Miracle of the True Cross at the Campo di San Lio of 1494 now in the Accademia in Venice. His best-known works are his large-scale narrative canvases painted for the meeting rooms of the Venetian confraternities, such as the three paintings from the Life of St. Mark cycle painted for the Scuola Grande di San Marco in Venice. Mansueti also painted a large number of altarpieces and smaller devotional works such as the present panel, but in these he seems to have been more influenced by the work of Giovanni Bellini, for whom he seems to have worked occasionally as an assistant. The design for the Madonna and Child in this picture is paralleled in a signed Madonna and Child by Mansueti which was sold, London, Christie's, 25 October 1957, lot 71.¹

We are grateful to Prof. Peter Humfrey for proposing the attribution on the basis of photographs.

 

1. Panel, 66 by 56 cm., signed JOANNES/DIMANSU/ETIS. Reproduced in The Burlington Magazine, no. 655, vol. XCIX, October 1957, p. ii.