Jacopo di Cione

H. O'Brien collection, London, by 1970, where the work hung with some other parts of the polyptych;
Sale, Cologne, Lempertz, 24-26 November 1971, lot 178 (as Tuscan School, 15th Century).

M. Boskovits, La pittura fiorentina alla vigilia del Rinascimento, Florence 1975, p. 322.

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 panel is made from two sections of wood joined vertically through the shoulder of the figure on the left of the panel. This join is quite visible to the naked eye, especially as it runs through the incorporated frame. Another break in the frame runs diagonally through the left side of Saint Catherine painted in the top of the frame. The gilding seems to be original in the frame and in the background of the portrait. The portrait itself shows fairly noticeable restorations which have been applied in a technique which allows identification of these areas of damage when viewed closely. There are numerous areas of loss in the green dress of the saint but the dragon on which she stands and her face and hands are in slightly different condition and although these areas have also suffered in the past, the losses are not so broad. If the restoration were to be adjusted it would benefit the work however, whether or not the paint layer is cleaned and all of the restorations are removed is a matter of opinion.
"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."

This panel depicting Saint Margaret was originally part of a larger polyptych painted by Jacopo di Cione, the younger brother of the celebrated Andrea, known as Orcagna. The attribution was first proposed orally by Federico Zeri to Professor Miklós Boskovits who subsequently published the painting (see Literature), dating the work to the years 1380-85. In his reconstruction of the dismembered polyptych Boskovits lists the central section which depicts the Madonna and Child Enthroned, painted in collaboration with Giovanni del Biondo, as also formerly in the O'Brien collection and subsequently in the Guido Collection in Florence.¹ Boskovits proposes that the other wings of the polyptych were those offered London, Sotheby's, 26 February 1958, lot 48, along with a panel by another hand.²


1. See Boskovits, under Literature, p. 324, reproduced comparative fig. 117.
2. Idem, p. 326. Boskovits lists the other wings as representing Saints Gregory, James and Donnino whereas the Sotheby's catalogue lists them as Saints Vitus, James and Fabian.