Antonio Palma

Possibly Lucrezia d'Este (inventory of 1592, according to notes in a 1626 Aldobrandini inventory, no. 67);
Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, Villa Aldobrandini, by 1603;
Olimpia Aldobrandini-Pamphilj, Villa Aldobrandini, 1626;
Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini, Villa Aldobrandini, 1638;
Probably Pietro (1760-1833) and Vincenzo (1771-1844 Camuccini, Rome;
Probably sold by Vincenzo's son, Giovanni Battista Camuccini, as part of a group of 74 pictures to Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, by 1857;
Thence by descent in the family at Alnwick Castle;
With Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London;
From whom acquired by Denys Sutton, London, 10 January 1969;
Thence by descent to the present owner.

London, British Institution, 1857, no. 10 (loaned by the Duke of Northumberland).

Probably T. Barberi, Catalogo ragionato della Galleria Camuccini in Roma descritto da Tito Barberi, unpublished MS. catalogue of circa 1851 held in the Alnwick Castle Archives (two paintings depicting the "Sacra Famiglia" by Bonifazio are listed, one in Camera Terza, no. 18 and the other in Camera Quarta, no. 3);
G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain, Vol. IV, 1857, p. 469, no. 2 (as Bonifazio, "An admirable work of the master; the heads noble, the colouring clear and golden, and the execution careful.");
L. Vertova, "Profilo di Antonio Palma," in Antichità Viva, XXIV, no. 5-6, 1985, p. 28, reproduced p. 23, fig. 3 (as Antonio Palma);
S. Simonetti, "Profilo di Bonifacio de'Pitati," in Saggi e Memore di storia dell'arte, Florence 1986, p. 120 (under Opere Attribuite, no. A1).

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 work has not been cleaned recently and is quite dirty. The canvas has an old glue lining. The paint layer is stable and the canvas is well-stretched. The condition of the work beneath the dirt layer seems to be very healthy. The restorations that have been applied are fairly visible to the naked eye. For instance, one can see that the edges are a little warm and retouched. A group of little damages can also be seen beneath the left hand and the staff of the standing male figure. There are also some losses in his leg and others in the seated figure next to him. However, the Madonna, the Child, Saint John and the seated figure on the right appear to be healthy, as does much of the background. If and when the picture is cleaned, the palette will brighten, and the quality should sharpen. Older losses and restorations will be revealed, but there is no reason to anticipate more than the kind of loss and subsequent restoration that is expected for a painting from this period.
"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 Sacra Conversazione was first identified as a work by Antonio Palma by Luisa Vertova in 1985 (see Literature).  More recently, and based on an image, Dr. Peter Humfrey also supports the attribution to Antonio.

Antonio Palma was the nephew of Palma Vecchio (1479/80-1528) and apprenticed to Bonifazio de’Pitati, to whom this painting was formerly given.  Antonio probably assisted Bonifazio in decorations for the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi and the sacristy of San Sebastiano, both in Venice.  This Sacra Conversazione was probably bought by the 4^th Duke of Northumberland from the Camuccini collection in Rome.  The collection had been formed by Pietro and Vincenzo Camuccini, both of whom were dealers, restorers and painters in their own right.  The Duke purchased 74 pictures in 1853 which arrived at Alnwick Castle in 1856.  Among the paintings he acquired were Raphael’s Madonna of the Pinks (National Gallery, London) and Giovanni Bellini’s Feast of the Gods (National Gallery of Art, Washington).