Giusto de' Menabuoi

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 panel is in sound condition overall. On the side depicting the Crucifixion, the retouching is generously applied and may cover some original paint in addition to addressing wear and abrasion. Much of the modeling in the garments is restored, and the left side of Christ's torso and parts of his head have been knit together with retouching. Portions of the right-most figure and a fair amount of the Christ blessing figure at the apex have been reconstructed. The depiction of Saint Anthony Abbot on the reverse is less well preserved. Because the current restoration is broadly applied, it is difficult to determine how much original paint versus areas of loss exists on this side of the panel. A crack in the panel runs from the top, left of center, into the left side of the saint. Small losses are found in several locations. If the discoloration of the current restoration is visually disturbing, corrective retouching may be considered to improve the appearance. While cleaning would remove the discolored nonoriginal material and possibly uncover some hidden original paint, it is expected that wear requiring considerable restoration would be revealed.
"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."

We are extremely grateful to Professor Andrea De Marchi for his attribution to Giusto De' Menabuoi, a 14th-century Florentine artist who was mostly active in Lombardy and later in the Veneto as a painter of both panels and frescoes. The present work was probably executed during his Lombard sojourn during the 1360s. The small tabernacle depicting the Coronation of the Virgin, in the National Gallery, London, is signed by the artist, dated 1367, and located in Milan: "JUSTUS ME PINXIT IN MED."

The reverse of the panel (fig. 1) shows an intriguing later depiction of Saint Anthony Abbot in the desert. Professory De Marchi tentatively attributes this scene to the Lombard painter Giovan Mauro della Rovere known il Fiamminghino (1575-1640), supporting the probable Lombard origins of the work.