D. Bodart, The Zanchi Collection, Rome 1985, p. 320, cat. no. 438 (as Lorenzo Costa).
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 has not been recently cleaned. There are a few retouches on the figure's nose and around his jaw that are visible under ultraviolet light. If the picture were to be cleaned, it is not expected that any significant restorations would be revealed beneath the old varnish. The panel has not been reinforced on the reverse, and two original wooden reinforcements across the top and bottom have been removed. The panel has developed a gentle curve from left to right, elevating the center of the panel by perhaps 1 inch, but the condition is extremely good. The paint layer is stable.
"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."
A striking example of Veronese painting of the early 16th century, this enigmatic depiction of a
Saint in Armor has been recently idenitified by Mauro Minardi as the work of Gian Francesco Caroto, an attribution upheld by Keith Christiansen and Mattia Vinco.
1 The painting is close in style to a
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, of similar dimensions, now in the National Gallery, London (inv. no. NG3118).
2 Initially given to Caroto by Federico Zeri, the London painting was later published as attributed to Benvenuto Tisi, called Garofalo, and is now exhibited as “Ferrarese School”.
3 The two paintings are remarkably similar in composition, showing the figure bust length, facing left, against a black background, the head turned toward the viewer, and the right hand raised, resting on the saint’s attribute. The two saints are also akin the treatment of their physiognomy, with almond-shaped eyes, soft mouth and smoothly rounded chin and jawline. The halo of the present saint, however, is more intricately represented: rather than the single line used for that of Saint Catherine, the
nimbus is here formed of a double ring applied in shell gold, and within it are fainter, concentric lines, becoming brighter as they reach the halo’s edge.
According to Vasari, Caroto trained in the workshop of Liberale da Verona , later becoming assistant to Mantegna. While Liberale and Mantegna influenced the artist in the formative years of his career, in Caroto’s more mature works we see the unmistakable impact of Raphael and Lorenzo Costa.4
We are grateful to Mauro Minardi and Keith Christiansen for suggesting the attribution following firsthand inspection and to Mattia Vinco for endorsing it on the basis of photographs.
1. Private written communication, dated 1 November 2014.
2. The Ferrarese School Saint Catherine of Alexandria is oil on panel, measuring 17 ¾ by 15 ¼ in.; 45.1 x 38.7 cm.
3. Fondazione Zeri Fototeca archive, entry no. 21630; J. Dunkerton, N. Penny and M. Spring, “The technique of Garofalo’s paintings at the National Gallery”, in National Gallery Technical Bulletin, vol. 23, 2003, p. 21, reproduced plate 2.
4. E. Safarik, “Giovanni Francesco Caroto”, in Treccani, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. XX, 1977, online edition.
