P resented in partnership with Qatar Executive, discover the original bidding battle that took place over a century ago for a prime Madonna and Child by the great Botticelli.
Acquired by Lady Wantage in 1904, this Florentine Renaissance painting of singular beauty has remained in the same family collection until the present day. Little studied and largely known only from black and white photographs, the painting was lost from view, its location often listed incorrectly, and largely overlooked in more recent monographs and exhibitions. The Virgin Mary with the Christ Child enthroned belongs to an early period in Botticelli’s career when he was not yet operating with a large team of assistants, as later became common practice. This is borne out by comparison with other works datable to the years leading up to about 1470, including a group of experimental early Madonnas, and culminating with the crowning achievement of these years, the commission from the Mercanzia for which Botticelli painted the Fortitude.
This rediscovered piece, which was highly sought after in 1904, is on offer as a highlight of the Old Master & 19th Century Paintings Evening Auction taking place at Sotheby's London on 4 December.
