The Master of Marradi
The Death of Lucretia at the Banquet of Lucius Junius Brutus
Property from a Distinguished Private Collection
The Master of Marradi
active in Florence during the second half of the 15th Century
The Death of Lucretia at the Banquet of Lucius Junius Brutus
oil and tempera on panel
15 ⅞ x 22 ⅜ in.; 40.3 by 56.8 cm.
The following condition report has been provided by Matthew Hayes of Pietro Edwards Society of Art Conservation, 336 West 37th Street, Suite 1580, New York, NY 10018, 212-457-8956, imh@edwards-society.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
The original panel has been thinned and marouflaged to a modern one; its reverse is painted, and its edges covered with narrow wooden strips.
Gilding is present throughout the painting as a decorative accent—in the garlands, textiles, and plates. This is in relatively good condition, with a slight amount of wear. Silver leaf applied for the same purpose, in the dagger, plates, and background hanging, is tarnished and rubbed.
The paint is well preserved in parts, for instance in the marbleized columns, the white tablecloth, and some of the faces and garments. There is a significant amount of retouching throughout, as in the background wall and the blue textile hanging, in the faces, hands, and garments, and to scattered losses in the foreground. The retouching has somewhat discolored. Fine cracks and tiny losses are evident, as are occasional signs of use in the form of old scratches, especially in the upper register. Some patination of the surface mutes the picture's tonality and adds a speckled character to the paint. Flaking is evident in the upper painted border.
The varnish is slightly discolored and the gloss somewhat uneven.
The frame is in relatively good state, with some mechanical damage and a few recent losses to the gilding.
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.
His sale, Paris, Hotel Ventes Mobilières, 16-17 January 1851, lot nos 98-100 (as Andrea Orcagna, along with two companion panels);
There acquired by Louisville (according to Ebersman);
James-Alexandre, Comte de Pourtalès-Gorgier, Paris;
His sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 21-22 February 1867, lot 230 (as Orcagna, along with two companion panels);
Claude Lafontaine, Paris;
By whom sold, Paris, Palais Galliera, 10 April 1962, lot 9 (as school of Benozzo Gozzoli);
With Wildenstein, New York, by 1977 (according to the Zeri website);
Private collection, New York;
With Hall & Knight, New York;
From whom acquired, 2002.
A-F. Artaud de Montor, Peintres primitifs: Collection de tableaux rapportée d'Italie, Paris 1843, pp. 41-42 (as Andrea Orcagna);
P. Schubring, Cassoni: Truben und Truhenbilder der italienischen Frührenaissance. ein Beitrag zur Profanenmalerei im Quatrrocento, Leipzig 1915, p. 278, cat. nos. 261-163;
F. Zeri, "La Mostra 'Arte in Valdesa' a Certoldo," in Bolletino d'Arte 48 (1963): pp. 245-48 (as by the same author as a group of panels in Marradi);
Ebersman, Artaud de Montor and the Italian Primitives, MA Thesis, New York University, Institute of Fine Arts, 1966, vol II, p. 239;
G. Szabo, The Robert Lehman Collection, New York 1975, pp. 67-68;
E. Fahy, Some Followers of Domenico Ghirlandajo, 1976, p. 183 (as Master of Marradi; missing);
J. Pope-Hennessy, Italian Paintings in the Robert Lehman Collection, New York 1987, p. 194, reproduced p. 314, fig. 79 (as Master of Marradi).