Giovanni de Lorenzo Larciani formerly the Master of the Kress Landscapes

Percy Turner, London;

Sir Edward Mountain, 1st. Bt. (1872 - 1948), Dunkeld House, Perthshire;

Thence by direct descent.

The catalogue illustration is representative. There is a very very slight now stable bow in the panel which has two baton supports on the reverse and an extension by 1 cm. running around the edge, which is painted on the front, which one can see in the upper right where there is cracking down the line dividing it from the panel. The paint surface appears to be in good overall condition. The very slight movement in the panel is visible by the very minor distress lines running down the grain of the wood, which are visible upon close inspection. There is also old raised paint, now stabilised in the lower left as well as a discoloured varnish and surface dirt, and there is some minor scattered retouching visible under a raking light. Examination under ultraviolet reveals scattered cosmetic retouching in the fleshtones which is infilling to an old craquelure, and to a lesser extent the sky. There is also retouching to an old surface scratch in the virgin's face and also to an old area of damage measuring approx. 2 in. in the mountian centre left, otherwise there is minor scattered work to the costume and to the landscape which includes infilling to craquelure. Offered in a black painted gilt wood architectural frame in good overall 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."

The identity of the Master of the Kress Landscapes has only recently been established by Louis Waldman as the Florentine Giovanni di Lorenzo Larciani.¹ The artist’s oeuvre had been reconstructed by Federico Zeri around a set of three spalliere panels from the Kress collection and now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C..² Compositionally the present work is similar to another painting of the same subject sold New York, Sotheby’s, 28 January 2000, lot 11, which betrays the influence of Francesco Granacci. The figure of Saint John recurs in a number of Granacci’s paintings of the same subject,³ and it has been suggested that Larciani had been an assistant in Granacci’s workshop at the beginning of his career.⁴

We are grateful to Professor Andrea De Marchi for endorsing the attribution after inspection of the original.

1, See L.A. Waldman, 'The Master of the Kress Landscapes unmasked: Giovanni Larciani and the Fuecchio altarpiece', in The Burlington Magazine, no. 1144, vol. CXL, July 1998, pp. 456-469;
2. See F. Zeri, 'Eccentrici fiorentini', in Bollettino d'Arte, vol. XLVII/1, 1962.
3. See C. von Holst, Francesco Granacci, Munich 1974, p. 156-7, cat. no. 46, reproduced p. 124, figs. 118-120;
4. See Waldman, op. cit., p. 466.