Ferrarese School, 15th century

Bruno Canto, Milan;
In the present collection since at least 1963.

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. Of particular note in this picture are the varied use of gold leaf embellishments — the dotted pattern decorating the interior of Mary's blue mantle, the punchwork in the halos and Mary's neckline, the curtains with an applied pattern of colored glazes — and the incised lines to indicate folds in the fabric of Mary's garments. The majority of the retouching found throughout the painting, much of which has discolored and darkened, appears to be focused on the flesh passages to address wear in the modeling. Gilding shows normal wear. Scattered normal, age-related cracks are most noticeable in the child's lower half and the sky. Two newer cracks following the wood grain originate from the bottom edge. The vertically-grained wood support has been thinned and displays a lateral warp. Given the degree of wear, cleaning may not be beneficial, however corrective retouching to adjust the discolored restoration, particularly in the light passages, and to minimize the appearance of dark cracks could improve the appearance.
"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 charming and highly stylized Madonna and Child follows the composition of a panel in the Cambò collection, Barcelona, which is thought to be the work either of Francesco del Cossa or the Master of the Boston Desco.¹  While the hand of this anonymous painter is very different to that in the Cambò panel, the design and poses of the central figures are almost identical.  In the present painting, the artist has omitted the angel at right and exchanged the rosebush background for a window opening onto a skyscape, framing the composition with a draped brocade curtain.

 

1. V. Sgarbi, Francesco del Cossa, Milan 2003, p. 234, cat. no. 33, reproduced.