Master of Siena 185

With Trotti and Cie., Paris, by 1918;
With Galerie G. Sarti, Paris, by 1997, from whom acquired by the present collector.

Paris, Galerie G. Sarti, Primitifs et maniéristes italiens, Paris 2000, pp. 72-75, no. 8 (as Sienese, circa 1440-50)

B. Berenson, "Guidoccio Cozzarelli and Matteo di Giovanni," in Essays in the Study of Sienese Painting, New York 1918, pp. 93-94, fig. 60 (as by Cozzarelli);
M. Caciorgna & R. Guerrini, La Virtù Figurata: Eroi ed eroine dell'antichità nell'arte senese tra Medioevo e Rinascimento, Siena 2003, p. 243, illus. (as close in style of Guidoccio Cozzarelli [forgery?], based on old photographs).

 

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. Despite having been repaired, this Cassone is all of one piece and looks attractive. A good deal of antique gilding and woodwork has been retained. One could speculate that some of the gilding and paint work around the panel has been augmented and repaired over the years. This report pertains only to the report itself. The most notable element to the condition is a crack which runs through the lower portion of the left side of the panel and another less noticeable crack which runs through the center of the right side of the panel. The lower crack on the left is active at present and there are a few old associated losses. The other crack is less noticeable. Under ultraviolet light a milky varnish obscures the light from detecting any restoration however, it seems from a visual examination that there is very little restoration to this panel. The figures, the architectural details and the landscape all seem to be very well preserved. Although the paint layer is most likely dirty, it is not necessary to clean it. The two cracks in the wood do need attention and if they were to be corrected and retouched, and a few visible losses to the casket itself were to be corrected, the painting could be presented in its current condition.
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.

The odd nomenclature of the anonymous Master of Siena 185 is derived from a painting in the Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena, depicting a Madonna of Humilty with two Angels and God the Father, catalogued in the collection with that inventory number.  The panel is the central part of a tabernacle, and clearly betrays the influence of Sassetta; as such, it was addressed by John Pope-Hennessy in his seminal study of the artist, who attributed a small number of related works around the panel, many of which have since been attributed to other artists, including Sassetta himself.¹  Federico Zeri added a number of more secure works to the Master's oeuvre.²  More recently, a fresco cycle in the Chiostro de'Beati in the Hermitage, Lecceto (Siena) has been attributed to the master.³  The various works of the Master of Siena 185 display an awareness of a number of artist's works, not only Sassetta in whose orbit he appears to be most firmly placed, but also artists such as Giovanni di Paolo and Pellegrino di Mariano, no doubt complicating Pope-Hennessy's initial attempt to reconstruct his corpus.  The Master was active in the third quarter of the 15^th Century, and produced a variety of works, mostly religious, but a few secular pieces as well, including two cassone panels representing scenes from the story of Helen of Troy, now in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt (inv. 1003; 1004).⁴

As in Florence, cassoni were produced in Siena on the occasion of aristocratic weddings, although with much less frequency, and from a later date, coming into fashion only in the second quarter of the 15^th Century.  The present intact cassone is somewhat unusual, as most often the painted panels of the chest frontals were removed at a later date to be hung on the wall as standard paintings.  Nevertheless, the form of the present cassone exists in a few other Sienese examples dating from about 1460 until the end of the century.⁵  In this type, the central panel is a continuous narrative, with various scenes broken up by architectural or landscape elements.  The central panel is often flanked by heraldic devices, either painted, or as in the present case, in pastiglia.

The subject depicted on the front of this cassone is the story of the virtuous Lucretia, related by Livy in the Ab Urbe Condita (I.57-60).   The theme was a fairly common one for the decoration of such chests, a grim, but natural choice, in order to remind the new bride of the noble character of an ancient wife.  In the present case, the scenes depicted follow the order of the narrative from left to right: the key moment of the Tarquin preparing to ravish Lucretia, with an unusual depiction of the heroine nude in her bed; the moment that Lucretia informs her husband, kinsmen, and friends to avenge her dishonor, just before she stabs herself; and finally the guilty Tarquin fleeing from Rome.  

We are grateful to Everett Fahy for attributing the present work to the Master of Siena 185, and for his help in cataloguing this lot.

 

1  J. Pope-Hennessy, Sassetta, London 1939, pp. 177-78, 198-99, 213-214

2   F. Zeri, Antologia di Belle Arti 2, no. 6, May 1978, p. 151

3  M. Merlini, "Pittura tardogotica a Siena: Pietro di Ruffolo, il 'Maestro di Sant'Ansano,' e il Cantiere di Lecceto, " Prospettiva 95-96, October 1999, p. 110. note 48

4   See G. Holland, Italian, French and Spanish Painting before 1800 at the Städel, Frankfurt 1997, figs. 5-6

5   For an example by Liberale da Verona in a private collection and a short discussion of the cassone in Siena, please see J. W. Taylor, "Cassone", in the Dictionary of Art, 1996, vol. 6, pp. 4-5, fig.5