Master of the Pesaro Crucifix

With Knoedler, New York;
Private collection, Paris;
With Wengraf, London, 1969–70;
Sale, Milan, Finarte, 23 November 1972;
Anonymous sale, Rome, Finarte Casa d'Aste, 2 December 1974, lot 102, for ITL 14m (as Catarino Veneziano).

'Aste', in Antichità Viva, XI, no. 5, Florence 1972, p. 82 (as Catarino Veneziano).

The original panel, including much of its original barb, has been laid down onto a modern panel support. The paint surface overall appears very well-preserved for a painting of this age. The two top corners have been cut on the diagonal, and the bottom right-hand corner has a small chip. There is an old repaired crack running from the top edge, running down through the left side of the Virgin's crown to her chest, measuring approx. 17 cm., and a 50 cm. old diagonal split, running down from this, through her hands, the toes of the Christ Child, to the centre of the base of her throne. There are further old cracks on and to the right of the Virgin's crown. There is an old peg(?), upper right. The gold appears to be largely original, but has worn and been repaired in several areas. Overall the tempera and decoration appears well-preserved; there has been restoration to the faces of the Madonna and Child, the Madonna's shoulders, the Christ Child's robe, the Madonna's lap, and the left side of the throne. Other retouchings are scattered and appear mostly minor in nature.
"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."

This painting, which owes a great debt to the art of Paolo Veneziano and, perhaps more so, to his principal pupil Lorenzo Veneziano, was first attributed to the Master of the Pesaro Crucifix by Federico Zeri. Previously it had been attributed to Catarino Veneziano, one of a group of artists working in Lorenzo’s wake in Venice in the last decades of the 14^th century, that also included Jacobello di Bonomo and Giovanni da Bologna. The figure types, their poses, and details such as the large crown are drawn from Lorenzo’s prototypes and can be compared, for example, to the Madonna and Child enthroned with two donors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Robert Lehman collection).¹

The Master takes his name from the Crucifix painted for the Seminario in Pesaro.

1. C. Guarnieri, Lorenzo Veneziano, Milan 2006, pp. 189–90, cat. no. 19, reproduced pp. 136, 137, 190.