Studio of Bernardino Licinio
Madonna and child with Saint John the Baptist
Estimate:
6,000 - 8,000 USD
Property from a Private Collection, Sold without Reserve
Studio of Bernardino Licinio
Poscante circa 1490 - circa 1565
Madonna and child with Saint John the Baptist
oil on canvas
canvas: 43 by 36 ⅜ in.; 109.2 by 92.4 cm.
framed: 56 ⅝ by 49 ⅞ in.; 143.8 by 126.7
The canvas has been lined and is taut and stable on its stretcher. The overall images presents strongly beneath an old, dirty, and yellowed varnish, and there are no instabilities visible on the surface. There is some thinness here and there, particularly in the lower costume of the Virgin. Old restorations scattered in the figures have slightly discolored and are visible to the naked eye, and these spots seem to have a slightly different varnish in raking light. Inspection under UV reveals a milky varnish that impedes some inspection, as well as more than one campaign of restoration. There appear to be only a few scattered spots and strokes of more modern restoration here and there, including some spots in the lower right corner, with some more broadly applied retouching or strengthening to the veil of the virgin and to the striations of some of the clouds in the background. The older restorations mentioned above fluoresce differently under UV, largely to address spots in the flesh tones, but also a few other small spots including an old repaired puncture in the lower costume of the Virgin. Offered in a decoratively carved gilt frame.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.
By whom sold, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 4 June 1914, lot 51 (as Bernardino Licinio);
There probably acquired by María Antonia Netto de Mendilaharsu (1863-1949), Nice and Montevideo;
Thence by descent to the present owner.
A. Venturi, La galleria Sterbini in Roma: saggio illustrativo, Rome 1906, pp. 174, 177, under cat. no. 44, reproduced fig. 73 (as Bernardino Licinio);
J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A history of painting in north Italy, Venice, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Ferrara, Milan, Friuli, Brescia from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, London 1912, vol. III, p. 190 (as Bernardino Licinio);
A. Venturi, Storia dell'arte italiana: La Pitture de Cinquecento, vol. IX, part 3, Milan 1928, pp. 473, 475, reproduced fig. 311 (as Bernardino Licinio);
L. Vertova, "Bernardino Licinio: La vita," in I Pittori Bergamaschi dal XIII al XIX secolo: Il Cinquecento, vol. I, Bergamo 1975, pp. 380, 425, 461, reproduced fig. 2 (as Studio of Bernardino Licinio).
This charming Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist is a studio variant of a painting by Bernardino Licinio in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan.1
1. Vertova 1975, p. 461, reproduced fig. 1.