Master of the Pesaro Crucifix

With Knoedler, New York;
Private collection, Paris;
With Wengraf, London, 1969–70;
Sale, Milan, Finarte, 23 November 1972;
Anonymous sale, Rome, Finarte Casa d'Aste, 2 December 1974, lot 102, for ITL 14m (as Catarino Veneziano).

'Aste', in Antichità Viva, XI, no. 5, Florence 1972, p. 82 (as Catarino Veneziano).

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: The panel is laid onto a secondary wooden support. This is stable. There are a number of cracks Including running through Madonna. These are stable. There are a few small losses at the extreme edges. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows small scattered retouchings,some of which are covering cracks. Overall the painting is 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This painting, which owes a great debt to the art of Paolo Veneziano and, perhaps more so, to his principal pupil Lorenzo Veneziano, was first attributed to the Master of the Pesaro Crucifix by Federico Zeri. Previously it had been attributed to Catarino Veneziano, one of a group of artists working in Lorenzo’s wake in Venice in the last decades of the 14^th century, that also included Jacobello di Bonomo and Giovanni da Bologna. The figure types, their poses, and details such as the large crown are drawn from Lorenzo’s prototypes and can be compared, for example, to the Madonna and Child enthroned with two donors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Robert Lehman collection).¹

The Master takes his name from the Crucifix painted for the Seminario in Pesaro.

1. C. Guarnieri, Lorenzo Veneziano, Milan 2006, pp. 189–90, cat. no. 19, reproduced pp. 136, 137, 190.