Angelo Caroselli

The painting overall reads very well and appears to have been recently restored. The canvas, which may originally have been rectangular, was modified into an oval at some point and has since had a modern glue lining on a rectangular stretcher. The paint surface is clean beneath a clear, fresh varnish. Inspection under UV reveals minor retouched losses in the flesh of the two children and in the Virgin's neck and left side of her face. There are further very minor retouches to the darks of the background and what appear to be some older restorations in the darks in the section beneath Christ's feet, only faintly perceptible and some strengthening to the shadows beneath the Virgin's right sleeve. The painting requires no further work and is ready to hang. Offered in a decoratively carved gilt wood frame with an oval inset.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This playful depiction of the Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist is typical of the style of the Roman painter Angelo Caroselli. The facial type of the Virgin is remarkably similar to that in Caroselli's Madonna and Child with Saint Anne, offered at Christie's London in 1982, with the same soft features and slim, rounded nose.¹  The gesture of her right hand, plucking at her veil with her finger and thumb, is repeated by the youthful figure in the artist's Allegory of Vanity in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica di Palazzo Corsini (inv. no. 1319).²

1. Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 23 July 1982, lot 110.
2. Fondazione Federico Zeri, online database, entry no. 46424.