Workshop of Pietro di Alberico Italian, Bologna, mid-12th century

inscribed: DUCITUR AD TEMPLUM HIESUS SUB LEGE PARENTUM

Portal of the medieval cathedral of San Pietro, Bologna, until around 1500;
Old Hospital Bologna;
Sold by the Bargello authorities for relief of the hospital, 1925;
The Raoul Tolentino Collection, American Art Association, New York, 8-11 December 1926, lot 724;
Dr. Jacob Hirsch;
his sale, Adolph Hess AG. and William H. Schwab, Luzern, 7 December 1957, lot 119 (as having come from the Church of S. Stefano in Bologna)

M.L. Vescovi, 'Uno sconosciuto frammento del portale della cattedrale medievale di San Pietro a Bologna, Arte Medievale, VII, 2008, vol. 2, pp. 113-141

Overall the condtion of the stone is good. There is some wear, weathering and dirt to the surface consistent with age. There are a few minor chips and losses including a large loss to the bottom right corner and smaller losses to the attribute in Christ's hand, the Virgin's proper right hand and one of the birds held by the figure in the background. There are two square holes for mounting to the underside of the relief. There are old American shipping labels to the reverse and a fragmentary label inscribed: WADS. ATH. [Wadsworth Atheneum]
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 2008 Michele Vescovi published this Italian Romanesque stone relief of the Presentation in the Temple identifying it as part of a lost doorway from the Cathedral of San Pietro in Bologna. His account convincingly associates it with other recently discovered fragments from the doorway, although, at the time he was only working from an illustration, because  the relief was then in an anonymous private collection.

The relief was illustrated in the Dr Jacob Hirsch sale, held at the Hotel Schweizerhof, Lucerne on 7^th December 1957,  where the provenance was given as the church of S. Stefano, Bologna, but  the discovery in 1999 of six stone panels during work on the Cathedral's campanile proves that it was originally from the Cathedral of San Pietro in Bologna. These reliefs have been discussed extensively by Massimo Medica in the 2004 exhibition La Cattedrale Scolpita .

The most significant relief disovered in the campanile depicts two scences from the Life of Christ: Christ amongst the Doctors and Christ with his Parents in the Temple; and the remains of a third scene. The present relief of the Presentation compares exactly in both the stylistic treament of the figures, architecture and in the paleography, which displays some unusual features, with the Bologna relief (fig. 1). Vescovi confidently associate these reliefs with the stone cross in S Petronio, Bologna, known as the Croce di Porta Ravegnana, which is signed by the sculptor Pietro di Alberico; and Massimo attributes them to his worksoip.  This comparison and the chronology of the building of the cathedral, which was extensively rebuilt after  the fire of 1141, date these reliefs to around 1159.

However, Vescovi was unaware of its provenance before the Hirsch collection. The Presentation relief appeared as lot 724 in the auction of the Raoul Tolentino Collection at the American Art Association on 8-11 December 1926. The short catalogue note makes a stylistic comparison with the work of Benedetto Antelami on Parma Cathedral of 1178, but specifies that it came from the old Hospital in Bologna, from where it had been sold in 1925 to benefit the Hospital, with permission of the Bargello authorities.  It is not known if Hirsch acquired the relief directly from the Tolentino sale, but we know that he was well established  as one of the leading art dealers of his generation in New York and Paris and would certainly have had the opportunity to have done so.

RELATED LITERATURE
H. A. Cahn, 'Jacob Hirsch', Weltkunst, XXV, (17), Sept. 1955, pp.7-8;
M. Medica and S. Battistini (eds.), La cattedrale scolpita. Il romanico in San Pietro in Bologna, exh. cat. Musei Civico Medievale, Bologna, 2003, pp. 109-149, 185-200 and 284-287, no. 16