Callisto Piazza

Galeria Sandro Orsi, Milano, from a label on the back of the frame

A l’œil nu : Le tableau se présente dans un état de conservation satisfaisant. Il est peint sur un panneau de bois tendre constitué d’une planche avec un renfort. Le panneau est très légèrement cintré. La matière picturale est bien stable et on ne remarque pas de soulèvement. Le tableau a dû faire l’objet d’un nettoyage ancien et on remarque des usures intervenant essentiellement dans le coin supérieur droit, dans les parties brunes. Quelques usures également dans le ciel, ainsi que dans le vêtement jaune de Marie-Madeleine. A la lampe U.V. : Le tableau apparaît sous un vernis vert ancien non uniforme. On ne remarque pas de restauration à la lampe U.V., même si on peut soupçonner d’anciennes reprises non visibles car plus anciennes. To the naked eye : The painting is in satisfactory condition. It is painted on a softwood panel made of one plank with one brace. The panel is very slightly curved. The painted surface is stable and we do not notice any uplift. The painting must have been formerly cleaned and we can notice some wears, mainly on the upper right corner, on the brown parts. Some wears in the sky too, and on Marie-Madeleine’ yellow coat. Under U.V. light : The painting appears under an old green non uniform varnish. We cannot notice any restoration under the U.V. light, even if we can suspect some former retouches (now invisible because too old).
"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."

The painting has been authentified as a work from the Italian artist Callisto Piazzo in a letter written the 4th of December 1991 by the art historian Federico Zeri and dated it between 1523 and 1525.

This oil on panel is a work by the famous Callisto Piazza of Lodi. The Piazza family was active in Lodi for three generations, with Lodi being an important cultural center located at the crossroads between Milan and Brescia in northern Italy. During the 16th century, the family dominated the city's cultural production by producing frescoes, polyptychs, paintings, and decorations.

The represented subject, Noli me tangere, derives its source from the Gospel of St. John 20:17. The iconography depicted is typical of those one finds at the end of the 15th century, duringthe late Middle Ages, with the figure of Christ as a gardener equipped with an agricultural tool, in this instance, a hoe. His face is encircled with a cruciform halo, similar to that in the great fresco by Fra Angelico at the Basilica San Marco, Florence. One of the two angels, who spoke with Mary Magdalene, appears to the right, while Jerusalem is visible in the background.

The very Venetian tone of this painting, visible through the predominance of its ochre hues, proves Callisto Piazza's stay in Brescia between 1523 and 1529, this territory having belonged to the Republic of Venice from the early 15th century. In this painting we find the Brescian paint strokes evoking the work of Moretto da Brescia, the portraits by Giovanni Battista Moroni, but perhaps moreover, the influence of Girolamo Romanino (1485-1566). The closeness to the latter is such that Portrait of a Man by Callisto Piazza, now housed at the National Gallery in London (Inv. NG2096), was initially ascribed to his contemporary Girolamo Romanino.