Martino di Bartolommeo di Biagio

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The panel has had worm damage in the past and this is reflected in the fragility of some of the wood and to the paint surface where worm damage is present and has been retouched out. There is a repaired split vertically up from the bottom , through the dais, and on up through the Madonna's cloak. The moulding of the engaged frame has been repaired as has the apex to the gold ground, which has experienced further abrasion exposing the red ground . The flesh tones have been augmented and losses to St. John's cloak, the Madonna's mantle and St. Catherine's vermillion cloak have been retouched out. The gold to the hems , cuffs and collars has been reinforced. A well conserved object which still has a spiritual elegance. Offered in an engaged frame"
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Martino di Bartolommeo di Biagio is first documented as a member of the artist's guild in Siena in 1389. Little is known of his training but he certainly collaborated with Giovanni di Pietro (active 1401-1423) between the years of 1402 and 1405 and a number of altarpieces are jointly signed by the two artists. He painted fresco cycles in various churches in Tuscany including the Duomo in Siena and the church of San Giovanni Battista in Cascina, Pisa. Martino was also active in Lucca where he seems to have been influenced by the neo-Giottesque style of Spinello Aretino.

The pose of the figure of Christ at the top of the present panel can be compared to Martino's Christ as the Man of Sorrows which was sold in New York, Christie's, 6 April 2006, lot 203. Furthermore, the treatment of Saint Catherine in the present painting can be compared to a similar portrayal of the saint in a polyptych by Martino with Saints James, Catherine, Mary Magdalene and Ansane in the Pinacoteca in Siena.¹

We are grateful to Everett Fahy for endorsing the attribution to Martino di Bartolommeo on the basis of photographs.

1.  See E. Carli, La Pittura Senese del Trecento, Venice 1981, reproduced p. 253, fig. 292.