Pietro di Francesco degli Orioli

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. This pair of paintings is in fairly good condition overall although quite dirty and coated with discolored varnish. Each of the vertically grained wood supports displays a slight concave lateral warp and has a series of 6 wood boards attached to the back that appear quite old but are not likely to be original. The varnish on the portrayal of Charity displays a strong fluorescence under ultraviolet (UV) illumination, complicating confirmation of the presence of retouching. There does appear to be strengthening in the darks, and some retouches in the figure's face. Yellowish blanching in the modeling of the garment appears to reside in the varnish and not within the paint itself. Revival or removal of the varnish would likely eliminate this haze. Grain-oriented cracks in the panel are visible from the front, for the most part across the middle of the composition. A few minor losses are found along the left edge. The depiction of Faith appears to have a thinner coating of aged, discolored varnish, perhaps due to a partial cleaning at some point in time. The fluorescence under UV is uneven and less intense, and retouching is found throughout the folds of the garment. Strengthening also appears to exist in some of the darker passages. A series of scratches, restored, are clustered in the right half of the figure's face. Vertical cracks run down the center of the panel and flake losses have developed along the widest crack in the bottom third of the picture. Cleaning to remove the accumulation of dirt and discolored varnish is likely to reveal a brighter palette and improve the contrast and illusion of space. It is also possible that some degree of wear will be revealed and will need to be addressed with retouching. Consolidation along the cracks is advisable to prevent further flaking and loss.
"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."

These allegorical depictions of Faith and Charity formed part of a series of the Three Theological Virtues with a third painting depicting Hope that was on the art market in London in 2000.¹  That painting, of almost identical size, is also inscribed at the top in Latin with the identification of the figure:  SPES CERTA (Hope is Certain).  These types of panels, often comprising allegories or depictions of figures from antiquity, were very popular in Siena in the late 15^th century and into the 16^th century.  They were usually incorporated into the decorative scheme of a room or set into pieces of furniture.²  Another such set of the Three Theological Virtues, by an Umbrian painter, circa 1500 (formerly ascribed to the Griselda Master and Pietro di Domenico) is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 1982-177.1-3).

Pietro di Francesco Orioli was an important painter in Siena in the late 15^th century.  He trained in the workshop of Matteo di Giovanni and his artistic activity is recorded as early as 1474, though his earliest known works date from the late 1470s.  Orioli’s paintings have, in the past, often been confused with those of Giacomo Pacchiarotti, until Alessandro Angelini provided clarification concerning Orioli’s oeuvre.³  One of his most important paintings is his fresco of 1489, the Washing of the Feet, in the Baptistry, Siena.  Orioli was known to be particularly devout and was an active member of the Confraternity of Saints Jerome, Francis and Bernardino in Siena.  He died prematurely and, according to documents, was greatly mourned throughout the city.  It was stated that he “was a most excellent painter, and apt to become even better.”⁴

We are grateful to Laurence Kanter for confirming these paintings to be by Orioli and for bringing the painting of Hope to our attention. He dates the series to the late 1480s.

 

1.  London, Christie’s, 3 November 2000, lot 44, oil on panel, 88.9 by 47 cm., where incorrectly titled “A female saint.”
2.  See L. Kanter, in Painting in Renaissance Siena 1420-1500, exhibition catalogue, New York 1988, p. 346.
3 See A. Angelini, "Da Giacomo Pacciarotti a Pietro Orioli," in Prospettiva, 29, April 1982, pp. 72-78; and “Pietro Orioli e il momento ‘urbinate’ della pittura senese del Quattrocento," in Prospettiva, 30, July 1982, pp. 30-43.
4.  See G. Fattorini, in Renaissance Siena, Art for a City, exhibition catalogue, London 2007, p. 357.