Bartolomeo Ramenghi, called Bagnacavallo

Rafaelle and Luigina Checci, the Widow Cassanova, Bologna, by 1888 (according to a label on the reverse);
Alfred Stoll collection, Basel;
Possibly G. Gluck collection.

Possibly E. Negro and N. Roio, Francesco Francia e la sua scuola, Modena 1998, p. 163, under cat. no. 33 (as Bagnacavallo, cited as that in the G. Gluck collection, sold London, Christie's, June 1918). 

The panel appears to be made up of a single, vertical board with two very old horizontal cross bars. It is unbeveled and has a very slight vertical bow but is in good, stable condition. The paint surface overall appears to be in good condition and is a little dirty beneath an old, yellowed varnish. Inspection under UV is impeded by the dirty, milky varnish but some areas of retouching are perceptible to the upper right edge. A patch of inpainting of approx. 2 by 2 in. fluoresces in the Virgin's hand, one of 1 by 1 in. in the fingers of Saint Catherine, in her crown, in her left cheek and the wooden wheel. The painting would benefit from a light clean and fresh varnish and is otherwise ready to hang. Offered in an elaborately carved gilt wood frame in good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Bartolomeo Ramenghi, named Bagnacavallo after his native town, trained in the Bolognese workshop of Francesco Francia and later studied under Raphael.  The elegant figures of the Madonna and Child derive from a model by the artist’s master, Francia, the principal version of which is now in the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (inv. no 73.9).¹ Prior to the discovery of the Carnegie panel, a version of the composition in the National Gallery, London (inv. no. 3927, fig. 1) had been considered the prime version, but that painting has since be recognized as a later copy of the Carnegie picture.

In the present composition, the angel holding a chalice at left has been replaced by the Infant Saint John the Baptist and the curtain pulled to the opposite side, revealing the landscape at left and permitting the inclusion of Saint Catherine at right. Another version of the composition, executed by an anonymous follower of Francia and now in a private collection, also includes the Infant Saint John the Baptist in the same pose.²  Indeed, the composition was very popular and Bagnacavallo himself reproduced it in several variants, including one depicting Saint Clare, the whereabouts of which is unknown, and another with Saint Francis, now in the Pinacoteca Nazionale, Ferrara.³

We are grateful to Emilio Negro and Nicosetta Roio for endorsing the attribution to Bagnacavallo on the basis of photographs.

1.  E. Negro and N. Roio, under Literature, pp. 161-163, cat. nos. 33.a and 33.b, reproduced p. 162, figs. 33.a and 33.b.
2.  Ibid., p. 163, cat. no. 33.c, reproduced p. 162, fig. 33.c.
3.  C. Bernardini, Il Bagnacavallo Senior, Rimini 1990, pp. 74-76, cat. no. 7 and pp. 78-79, cat. no. 9, respectively.