Lot 187
  • 187

Carlo Maratta

Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
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Description

  • Carlo Maratta
  • The Holy Family, the Madonna and Child reading
  • oil on canvas, unframed

Provenance

With Kunsthandel Dirven, Roosendael;
From whom acquired by the father of the present owner in November 1937.

Condition

The canvas has an old relining, the paint surface is secure and stable, and the varnish clear and even. There are no major damages visible to the naked eye and the painting appears to be in very good condition. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals a scattering of only very minor tiny retouches, and some strengthenings in the architecture in the upper right quarter. This lot is offered unframed.
"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

This is a variant of a slightly larger work by Maratta in the Toledo Museum of Art.1 There are notable differences in the colour scheme, in the draperies throughout, in the Madonna's hair (which falls across her upper torso in the Toledo painting), and the position of the Madonna's right hand, which rests on draperies on the sarcophagus in the Toledo painting, whereas here it rests delicately on the Christ Child. The Toledo painting is considered a late work dating from about 1700–1705; the colour scheme of the present work suggests that it might be a little earlier. A larger, faithful copy of the Toledo picture is in The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Among the classicizing Bolognese painters working in Rome in the early seventeenth century, Maratta remained most acutely aware of Francesco Albani (1578–1660), whose Holy Family in a private collection well exemplifies his enduring influence on the younger artist (see fig. 1).

When in 1937 this painting was transferred from an old to a new relining by A. M. De Wild in The Hague, the original canvas was found to be inscribed with the artist's name.


1. Acc. no. 67.141; oil on canvas, 71.1 x 53.5 cm.; see O. Wittmann (ed.), The Toledo Museum of Art. European Paintings, Toledo 1976, p. 102, no. 23, reproduced pl. 23.