Massimo Stanzione

Canvas has been glued down to wood board. paint surface overall has been pressed and has been quite abraded in many areas. these include the Virgin's blue mantle, white drapery over her chest and shoulder, head and raised arm of Christ Child and other areas of flesh tones on both figures. scattered visible old retouches are visible to naked eye. darker pigments, such as the Virgin's hair, have sunken and lost definition. examination under ultraviolet reveals numerous scattered retouches to Christ Child's body, some (though fewer) to figure of Virgin and a few on her face. retouching all along bottom edge and scattered here and there in upper background. given the amount of work that would need to be done to improve the appearance of this painting, we would recommend seeing it firsthand and/or consulting a professional restorer for an assessment. In a silver gilt wood frame with some minor nicks.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This previously unpublished Madonna and Child  by Napolitan artist, Massimo Stanzione, likely dates between 1635 and 1640. The simple palette, the intense blue and red of the mantle, the ivory tones of the flesh and the marked use of chiaroscuro are typical of Stanzione's style during this period.  The artist and his studio produced many such works, all of which were destined for private devotion and, indeed, this painting manifests affinities with two other compositions of the same subject, now in private collections in Rome and Genoa.¹  In this picture, while the cross has been omitted and composition reversed, the coloration and handling are remarkably similar, notably in the taut yet gently rounded torso of the Christ Child, his full, dark lips and dimpled chin and the soft features of the Madonna, with her large, heavily shadowed eyes and smoothly molded cheeks.   

We are grateful to Nicola Spinosa for endorsing an attribution to Massimo Stanzione on the basis of photographs.

1.  S. Schutze and T. Willette, Massimo Stanzione, L'Opera completa, Naples 1992, p. 205, nos. A36 and A37.