Lot 29
  • 29

Massimo Stanzione

Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Massimo Stanzione
  • Sleeping Christ Child in a landscape
  • signed on the reverse of the canvas, upper left: Cavalier . Massimo
  • oil on canvas, unlined

Condition

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 work has obviously not been restored in many years. Painted on a heavy piece of linen, it is not lined. The shadow of the figure is clearly visible on the reverse. There are a few small patches that have been applied to the reverse. The stretcher is original. The surface is quite uneven and there is instability, particularly down the left side. The painting may have never been cleaned, and it is certainly very dirty. The blue of the sky has become weaker, and there is visible discoloration in this area. The darker colors may have sunk as well. But the color seems to be very healthy within the figure itself and in the blanket and cushion on which he lies. The only restorations are applied to small losses addressed by the patches on the reverse. It seems that the canvas may have become adhered to the stretcher bars around the edges, and there are a few losses here that require attention. This picture obviously needs conservation. If the restoration is carefully carried out, the condition will be seen to be very good except for some thinness in the sky. Please note, powder post beetles are currently active the frame and wooden stretcher of the painting. Immediately following the sale, both frame and painting will be treated by Sotheby's at no cost to the buyer. The process will in no way cause damage. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the department.
"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."

Catalogue Note

This newly discovered canvas, which remains unlined, is signed on the reverse. In a letter to the present owner, Professor Nicola Spinosa confirmed the attribution to the Neapolitan painter Massimo Stanzione.1  The Sleeping Christ Child was a subject popularized by Guido Reni, whose work would have been known to Stanzione in Naples.  The painterly technique, however, with its heightened chiaroscuro effects, and thick application of paint, is reminiscent of Jusepe de Ribera and typical of Stanzione's mature period.  The painting is datable to circa 1635 and is comparable stylistically to the artist's Madonna and Child of the same date, offered at Venice, Semenzato in 1987.2

We are grateful to Nicola Spinosa for endorsing the attribution after first-hand inspection.

1.  Private written communication with the owner, dated 6 July 2013.
2.  Anonymous sale, Venice, Semenzato, 25 October 1987, lot 93; see S. Schütze and T.C. Willette, Massimo Stanzione, L'opera completa, Naples 1992, p. 205, cat. no. A36, reproduced fig. 161.