Tommaso D'Antonio Manzueli, called Maso da San Friano

The Rev. John Spencer, Florence;
Captain Edward G. Spencer-Churchill (1876-1964), Northwick Park, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire;
His deceased sale, London, Christie's, 28 May 1965, lot 16 (as Pontormo);
With Richard Feigen & Co, New York.

Milwaukee, Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University, Italian Renaissance Masters, 25 January - 20 May 2001, no. 19.

V. Pace, "Maso da San Friano," in Bollettino d'Arte, serie V, LXI, 1976, p. 83.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work is in very good condition. The thick original panel shows only one horizontal reinforcement in the center and a small rectangular piece of wood in the center of the top edge. The panel is flat and in good condition. No retouches are clearly visible under ultraviolet light or to the naked eye. There is a very thin 1 ½ inch crack entering the panel in the upper center, and possibly some slight strengthening around the figures of Christ and the Angel in the lower center. The work can be hung in its current state.
"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 Adoration of the Shepherds relates closely to an altarpiece by Maso in the Chiesa SS. Apostoli, Florence, datable to circa 1566, though with notable differences in the positioning of some of the figures.¹

Although relatively little is known of Maso’s early training, he was a disciple of Andrea del Sarto and Pontormo. Held in high regard by his contemporaries, he received prestigious commissions among which are his paintings, The Diamond Mine and The Fall of Icarus, for the decoration of the studiolo of Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence (1570-71), and his state portrait of Francesco I (1570, Prato, Palazzo Comunale, Sala del Consiglio).

1.  Another version, almost identical to the present work in composition and size, was on the market in Rome, at Asta Finarte, 27-28 May 1985, lot 460.