MICHELE DI MATTEO DA BOLOGNA | Christ as the Man of Sorrows, flanked by the Madonna and Saint John the Evangelist

D'Atri collection, Paris;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's South Kensington, 4 May 2012, lot 56 (as attributed to Michele di Matteo);
Acquired from the above by the present owners.

The panel is thick and uncradled; it is relatively flat (only a very slight bow) and stable with no major structural damages. The painting has a clear and even varnish. There are no major new damages to the paint surface bar some tiny chips and losses at the very edges. Some areas of the gold background appear to have been reconstructed – most notably in the area of the background above the right shoulder of the figure of Christ, and in the upper and lower right corners. There are some retouchings scattered throughout that are visible to the naked eye having discolored with age – most notably to some distinctive craquelure in the chest of the figure of Christ, and in the forehead and hair of the Evangelist. There appears also to be some retouching to the inside edge of Christs tomb to mark some wear. There is a distinctive and prominent pattern of craquelure throughout. The rose coloured pigments, and the green of the Evangelist’s robes remain well preserved. Inspection under ultra violet light confirms the aforementioned retouchings in the head of the Evangelist; at the upper right margin; the inside edge of the tomb and a further retouching to a line of damage, perhaps a surface scratch, running in a diagonal line to the side of the face of the Madonna. The varnish does otherwise fluoresce in a milky, opaque manner making earlier restoration hard to read. It should be assumed that there is further restoration beneath the varnish – it is better understood in natural light than ultra violet light. 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."

This panel shares many similarities, in composition, in the execution of the hands and the tomb, and in the punchwork of the haloes, with the painting by Michele di Matteo in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.¹ That work is dated by Federico Zeri to shortly before 1450, and likewise depicts Christ as the Man of Sorrows on the edge of the tomb, with the Madonna and Saint John the Evangelist. We are grateful to Professor Gaudenz Freuler for endorsing the attribution to Michele di Matteo in full, on the basis of a digital image.

1 Inv. no. 37.738; see F. Zeri, Italian Paintings in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore 1976, vol. I, p. 198, cat. no. 131, reproduced plate 98.