Mariotto di Nardo

Horsey collection, Washington;
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 6 December 1973, lot no. 112 (as Attributed to Mariotto di Nardo);
With Piero Corsini, London, by 1978;
Private collection, Florence.

M. Boskovits, Pittura Fiorentina alla vigilia del Rinascimento, 1370 - 1400, Florence 1975, p. 402, reproduced fig. 495.

The following condition report has been provided by Karen Thomas of Thomas Art Conservation LLC., 336 West 37th Street, Suite 830, New York, NY 10018, 212-564-4024, info@thomasartconservation.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This picture is in very fine condition with very little wear to the paint. The confident, fluid brushstrokes defining the feathers in the wings are particularly appealing, as is the skilled modeling in the flesh and drapery. Normal age-related cracks have developed, as well as scattered pinpoint flake losses which appear as dark spots across the surface. The gilded and punched background and halo appear to have been reinforced with new gold; where the gold leaf is worn, the red bole is visible. The patterned mordant gilding along the garment edges shows minor abrasion but the repeating patterns remain clearly readable, aided by the color of the mordant where the gold is worn away. The vertically-grained wood panel support, comprised of two boards, displays a minor convex lateral warp.
"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."

First published by Miklòs Boskovits in 1975 (see Literature), this touching depiction of the Angel of the Annunciation shows Gabriel in the moment following the Annunciation.  His hand on his chest, his expression poised and engaged, he awaits the response of the Virgin.   The shape of the panel suggests it once formed the cusp of an altarpiece complex.  As the archangel is facing right, we can assume that this panel was the apex to the left hand wing and would have been accompanied by a Virgin at right and likely a depiction of God the Father in the center.  Hidden by a modern frame at the time of the 1973 sale (see Provenance) the edge of the preparation is now visible in the upper section displaying the original tri-lobe form of the ground.  The bare panel, now exposed at the pointed apex and in the lower corners, would have been covered by the original framing element. 

Son of the Florentine painter Nardo di Cione and nephew of the celebrated Orcagna, Mariotto was one of the most admired painters of his generation.  Boskovits considered this painting to date between 1420 and 1424, late in the career of the artist.  Both Alberto Lenza and Laurence Kanter independently indicate the clear influence of Lorenzo Monaco in the flourishes of drapery.¹  Kanter concurs with Boskovits’ dating while Lenza suggests a slightly earlier date of circa 1415.  Lenza compares this Angel with a Trinity with Saints Anthony Abbot, Michael, Frances and Julian in the Visconti collection, painted by Mariotto di Nardo for Niccolò du Roberto degli Adeodati in 1416.² 

We are grateful to Alberto Lenza for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs and to Laurence Kanter following firsthand inspection.

1.  Private written communication, dated 25 November 2014.
2.  F. Guidi, “La pittura fiorentina del primo Quattrocento nel transetto di Santa Trinità”, in G. Marchini and E. Micheletti ed., La chiesa di Santa Trinità a Firenze, Florence 1987, p. 119, reproduced fig. 92.