MASTER OF THE PIETÀ | The Crucifixion

The following condition report is provided by Sarah Walden, who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is on a poplar panel with an integral frame. The back has a patterned priming and seems to have been reinforced early in the life of the picture, perhaps when it was connected to or separated from other panels as a diptych or triptych, but the frame is an integral part of the painting. The fine tooling and gilded decoration in the upper part of the panel is beautifully preserved, and the gold ground throughout is almost completely unworn with an even craquelure. The Madonna in the circle above – once looking perhaps across to an Annunciation angel in a putative further panel - is finely intact, with just minimal retouching at the outline of her blue drapery and a touch or two in the shell gold details of her robe. In the Crucifixion the figure of Christ Himself is very beautifully intact, with the delicate tempera brushwork finely preserved in the body and in the detail of the loin cloth as well. There is retouching on the left of His hair (which is rather dark), and a little minor strengthening around the outline of the hair and along the edges of His chest. The other figures also have finely intact modelling in the heads, and in general retouching has been largely confined to the side edges. In particular the lower left corner has a wider patch of retouching including the lowest part of the Magdalen's red drapery. A few minor touches in the figures often strengthening the outlines can be seen under ultra violet light, for instance along the outline of the arm of St John, and in the arm of the Magdalen around the cross. There is a little touch on the cheek of the Madonna and in the shell gold at the borders of her robes. The initials on the board at the top of the cross have been worn. These are minutiae however in such a remarkably finely intact painting, especially from this early period. This report was not done under laboratory conditions
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