Studio of Francesco Raibolini, called il Francia

Lord Northwick, Thirlestaine House, Cheltenham;
Thence by inheritance to Captain E.G. Spencer-Churchill;
By whose Executors sold, London, Christie's, May 28, 1965, lot 28;
Anonymous sale, Munich, Weinmuller, September 18-19, 1974, lot 1043;
Anonymous sale, Munich, Weinmuller, November 27, 1974, lot 1361;
Anonymous sale, Stuttgart, Nagel Auktionen, September 22, 2005, lot 661, for $15,892.

Manchester, Manchester City Art Gallery, European Old Masters: Art Treasures Centenary, October 30-December 31, 1957, no. 255.

T. Borenius, Catalogue of the Collection of Paintings at Northwick Park, London 1912, cat. no. 30;
C. Bacchelli De Maria, in Dizionario Biografico Bolaffi, Torino 1975, vol. V, p. 138;
E. Negro, Francesco Francia e La Sua Scuola, Modena 1998, p. 255, cat. no. 179, reproduced p. 256 (as studio and seen only in a photograph).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This heavy panel is uncradled but there are four sections of wood which reinforce the back. The paint layer is stable and the panel is flat. There is a section of wood with some uneven wood grain which has become more visible over time, particularly in the sky and through the figure of Christ. Despite the fact that there are abrasions visible in some of the weaker colors, the picture is conspicuously under-restored, for which it should be recommended. There are restorations which have been applied only to the most noticeable losses and hardly any of the thinness, for instance in the beard of the figure in the upper right, has been retouched. Isolated losses show retouches in the figure of Christ, in the sky, in the hands and in a few other spots, but this is a picture would improve greatly if a few more retouches were to be added or at least if the retouches that exist were to be applied with more finesse. Overall the condition is very respectable.
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.

Negro dates the present work to the last year of Francia's activity, based on the close relationship to two devotional paintings by Francia and his studio.¹ The treatment of the faces of St. Paul and St. Dominic suggests the intervention of the artist's sons Giacomo and Giulio Francia.

 

1  See E. Negro, cat. nos. 178a and 178b.