Lot 110
  • 110

Circle of Andrea d'Agnolo, called Andrea del Sarto

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist
  • oil on panel

Provenance

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Prince de Talleyrand, Duke of Dino (1754–1838);
Prince Anatole Demidoff, Prince of San Donato (1813–70), Villa San Donato, near Florence, by 1840;
His sale, ('Collections de San Donato'), Paris, Pillet, 3 March 1870, lot 182, reproduced as line engraving by Bracquemond, for 5100 French francs;
Josef Cremer (1845–1938), Dortmund.

 

Literature

The Art-Journal, London 1870, vol. IX, p. 115;
H. Voss, Galeriewerk der Sammlung Cremer, Dortmund, Dortmund 1914, text vol., p. 40; reproduced in volume of images, no. 491;
S. J. Freedberg, Andrea del Sarto, Cambridge, MA., 1963, under no. 46, p. 94 (as [presumed] copy; with provenance incorrectly listed under Venice, Ca' d'Oro copy);
J. Shearman, Andrea del Sarto, 2 vols, Oxford 1965, vol. I, pp. 35–36, reproduced plate 30c; vol. II, p. 210, no. 24 (i) (as the best copy and probably the most accurate; untraced).

Condition

The panel is uncradled. There is a very slight convex curve. The paint surface is secure and clean, barring some slight discoloration to the highlights in the blue drapery. The colours are strong. Two small indentations in the panel are noticable: the first, measuring approximately 3 by 3 cm is at the upper left; the second, measuring 1 by 1 cm is visible on the marble at lower right. Neither has affected the paint surface. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals sensitive scattered retouching throughout the flesh tones and the pink drapery of the Virgin. There are also areas of sensitive scattered retouchings to the background at the upper left and upper right. Overall the work is in good condition. The work is offered in a gilt carved frame with raised cherubs heads at each corner and raised floral decoration along the sight edge, in excellent 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."

Catalogue Note

Both Freedberg and Shearman proposed a lost original by Andrea del Sarto for this composition. The design is known in numerous variants and copies, some featuring a baldacchino, as in this painting, some a neutral background and others a landscape. In Shearman's catalogue raisonné this painting is listed as the prime version with baldacchino, and as the best of the several copies and derivations that exist. Its quality, which Shearman described as 'excellent', coupled with the high calibre, consistency of style and quantity of replicas, led him to conclude that there was a lost prototype datable to about 1512 and that these were works produced under some degree of control in the studio. Freedberg, on the other hand, argued that the several copies or derivations that are known are not so close a reflection of Sarto's personal vocabulary. Albeit that the baldacchino is an element of earlier works by Sarto, he favoured a later date of c. 1520 for the presumed lost original. For Freedberg, the variant in the Ca' d'Oro, Venice, was the best of the versions with the baldacchino.1

The underdrawing of this painting revealed by infra-red imaging indicates that the design is likely to have been set out by some form of transfer method (fig. 1). This is particularly noticeable where folds and the extent of shadow, for instance on the Child's hip, have been demarcated with evenly weighted lines rather than more descriptive lines typical of a freehand drawing. The painted areas are faithful to the underdrawing with the exception of the area beside the hand of the Christ Child, where rounded shapes are outlined but later omitted in the finished painting. This suggests that the original intent of the design may have been to show the Christ Child holding a goldfinch or some other curved object, perhaps in accordance with the picture's lost prototype. The results of technical analysis can be consulted by contacting the department.2

1. With incorrect provenance in Freedberg 1963, p. 94.

2. Conducted by Art Access Research.