Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, called Botticelli and Studio

Mme. Bourlon de Sarthy, Paris;
Eugène Samuel Grasset, Paris;
Thence by descent to Mme Grasset;
Vandeuvre, Paris, 1847;
With Duveen Brothers, New York, 1931 to 1962 (as Botticelli);
Norton Simon, Los Angeles;
Sale ("Sold on behalf of the Republic of the Philippines through the Presidential Commission on Good Government and Property in the Custody of the United States Government"), New York, Christie's, 11 January 1991, lot 4 (as Studio of Botticelli);
There purchased by the present collector.

Paris, Palais des Corps Legislatifs, Exposition des Alsaciens-Lorrains, 1847, no. 672;
New York, M. Knoedler and Co., Loan in Honor of Royal Cortissoz, 1-20 December 1941, no. 6 (as Botticelli);
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum, on loan.

L. Venturi, "Contribuiti a Botticelli," in L'Arte, III, September 1932, pp. 413, 417-418, reproduced fig. 3, (as Botticelli circa 1498-1500);
L. Venturi, Italian Paintings in North America, vol. II, New York 1933, pp. 163 and 213, reproduced fig. 256;
J. Mesnil, Botticelli, Paris 1938, p. 163 (as Workshop of Botticelli);
R. Langton Douglas, "Review of the Exhibition in Honor of Royal Cortissoz," in Art in America, vol. 30, no. 1,  January 1942, p. 63 (as Botticelli);
R. Salvini, Tutta la pittura del Botticelli, Milan 1958, vol. II, pp. 78-79, reproduced fig. 156 (as Workshop of Botticelli);
M. Esterow, "Norton Simon Foundation to Buy Mansion and $15 Million Art Collection of Duveen Gallery," in The New York Times, 21 April 1964, p. 27 (as Botticelli);
R. Lightbown, Sandro Botticelli, Berkeley 1978, vol. II, p. 125, under cat. no. 19 (as Workshop of Botticelli, based only on black and white photographs).

The following condition report has been provided by Karen Thomas of Thomas Art Conservation LLC., 336 West 37th Street, Suite 830, New York, NY 10018, 212-564-4024, info@thomasartconservation.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. Overall this painting is in stable condition. As with many works associated with Botticelli and his studio, this picture has a strong presence as the reliance on bold contours aids in the cohesiveness of the imagery despite areas of wear. The modeling of the flesh tones preserves a good appearance with some general wear. The child's garment, in particular, is in very good condition. A loss in the upper right corner extends through Mary's otherwise well-preserved lavender scarf while some areas of restoration that are visible in the golden lining of Mary's mantle, bottom right, may address losses. Portions of Mary's blue mantle and the view through the left side window are reconstructions. Strokes of restoration glazes, applied to reinforce contours and shadows, are scattered throughout the picture. A normal small-scale, age-related craquelure is found throughout but is more noticeable in the lighter passages. The varnish is in good condition with an even gloss. The support has been thinned and narrow strips of bare wood attached to the perimeter. A cradle has been affixed to the enlarged support. This picture is in sound condition with no need for conservation at the current time, and may be displayed in its current state.
"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 intimate depiction of the Madonna and Child is based on a design by Botticelli that was reproduced in a variety of iterations by both the master and his workshop. The best known version is a tondo, portraying the Madonna and Child within a mountainous river landscape, accompanied by the young Saint John the Baptist, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio (inv. no. 70.160). The Cleveland tondo was for a considerable period considered autograph but was published by both Ronald Lightbown and Nicolette Pons as a workshop painting based on Botticelli's design.

A number of other versions in this upright, rectangular format are known, including one in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (inv. no. 8); one in the National Gallery, London (inv. no. 782); and another in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (inv. no. WA1932.1).² The upright versions are each larger than the present painting and vary in the background details.  In most, however, the figures are similarly placed in the corner of a room with a window either at the right or at both sides, revealing a landscape beyond. 

The elegant pose of the Virgin is closest to that in the Cleveland picture, her face angled further down towards the Christ Child, her right arm around his shoulders and her left reaching under his crooked leg. In the Dresden and Oxford versions the Virgin's face is shown in profile, but in the present composition she turns, revealing most of her face to the viewer.  The Child's head, meanwhile, is tilted backwards at a more acute angle than in the other versions, his lips almost pressing his mother's cheek. In the majority of the other versions, the Christ Child leans forward but his feet are together and the Virgin's left hand rests on the round of his belly. In the present painting, similar to the Cleveland version, the child strides dynamically across his mother's lap, reaching for her veil with his right hand. 

1.  R. Lightbown, under Literature, pp. 124-125, cat. no. C19, reproduced; N. Pons, under Literature, p. 78, cat. no. 82, reproduced. 
2.  For a full list of versions see R. Lightbown, under Literature, pp. 124-129, cat. nos. C19-C25.