Workshop of Benedetto da Maiano (1442-1497) Italian, Florence, circa 1490

Beautifully modeled, standard surface abrasions, chips and losses. Polychromy refreshed in areas with some remains of earlier polychromy beneath. Some excellently restored breaks to the relief. Frame also with refreshed areas of paint, minor losses and chipping.
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Expertly modeled and painted, this charming example of Benedetto da Maiano's well-known composition of the Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John is comparable in quality to reliefs now preserved in museums including one in the Bode Museum, Berlin (inv. no. 1581) and one in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (860-1891). The bond between the Mother and Child here is palpable. The relief is likely to have been intended for private devotion; sculptures and paintings of the same subject are recorded in the bedrooms of Renaissance noblemen and high-ranking merchants, where they also served to watch over expectant mothers.

As Pope-Hennessy noted (op.cit., no. 137), the attribution of the composition to Benedetto is corroborated by his marble relief of the Virgin and Child in the Strozzi chapel in the Santa Maria Novella, Florence (unfinished in 1491), which displays, among other details, a similar arrangement of the figures and the circular patterns of the drapery folds as well as the delicate jaw line of the Madonna. In addition to Pope-Hennessy's comparison, there is a closely related, formerly polychromed, marble relief of the Virgin and Child in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York also given to Benedetto (inv. no. 41.190.137).

Benedetto da Maiano was born in the Tuscan quarry town Maiano and trained as a wood carver before joining the sculptor's guild in Florence in 1473. He collaborated with Antonio Rossellino before winning and executing major commissions independently, including the pulpit of the Santa Croce, the figure of Saint John in the Palazzo Vecchio and the figure of Saint Sebastian in the Misericordia, Florence (Carl, op. cit., pp. 124-127, pls. 110-113, pp. 80-82, pls. 58-60).

An outstanding feature of the present stucco relief is the exceptionally fine application of the polychromy. The punched patterns in the haloes, collar and cloak of the Virgin emphasize the rich and varied textiles that clothe the Madonna and create a dynamic surface. Equally, the borders of her veil and dress are further embellished with punching combined with translucent layers of lacquer applied over the gilding to produce a sense of depth and movement. The painted geometric motif on the border of the frame is also contemporary to the relief. The quality of this jewel-like surface treatment of the relief, or estofado as it is called in Spain, suggests the involvement of a specialist painter.

A prominent painter who seems to have collaborated with Benedetto da Maiano and his brother Giuliano on several occasions was Neri di Bicci, a prolific artist who painted altarpieces and other devotional works of art for patrons throughout Italy. On 8 December 1464, Giuliano commissioned Neri to gild and polychrome a gesso Madonna for one of his clients. In the same year the two artists collaborated on the production of a carved wooden frame (Santi, op.cit.). Neri’s paintings, often lavishly adorned with gold, were keenly sought after by a diverse group of patrons.

Benedetto’s work is characterized by its elegance, decorative appeal and realistic detail often enhanced by the contribution of an important painter like Neri di Bicci.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Pope-Hennessy, Catalogue of Italian sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1964, pp. 161-162, nos. 136-137, figs. 158 and 160
M. Liebmann (ed.), Western European sculpture from Soviet museums. 15th and 16th century, Leningrad, 1988, pp. 38-39, no. 14
E. Smodi-Eszlary, The treasures of the old sculpture collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, n.d., pp. 17-19, fig. 7
B. Santi, "Giuliano da Maiano e Neri di Bicci. Due botteghe quattrocentesche in collaborazione", D. Lamberini, M. Lotti, and R. Lunardi (eds.) in , Giuliano e la bottega dei da Maiano, Florence, 1994, pp. 143-147
D. Carl, Benedetto da Maiano. Ein florentiner Bildhauer an der Schwelle zur Hochrenaissance, Regensburg, 2006