Virgin and Child

1400s
(Italian, 1866–1946)

workshop of Sano di Pietro

(Italian, 1406–1481)
Framed: 30.5 x 22.9 x 3.2 cm (12 x 9 x 1 1/4 in.); Unframed: 24.2 x 16.6 cm (9 1/2 x 6 9/16 in.)
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location: not on view

Download, Print and Share

Description

This picture has at times been seen as a forgery due to its seemingly excellent state of preservation and the simplicity of the composition. It was cleaned, retouched, and re-varnished in the 1960s, giving it an even, shiny surface, hiding to some extent its original appearance. This treatment was probably undertaken to address the losses to the Christ child's hair and the discoloration and abrasion of the Virgin's mantle. Also problematic is the restoration of the frame and sides of the panel, which obscure the age of the work. However, both the panel itself and the pigments employed prove that this is a 15th-century painting—though of lesser quality than the CMA's Virgin and Child Adored by Saints (1924.199). In particular, the Virgin's robe appears to have been painted originally with the pigment azurite, a less costly mineral pigment used as an alternative to ultramarine (made of powdered lapis lazuli). The use of this less expensive material, along with the picture's small size and simple composition, suggest that it was made by a member of Sano's workshop and not Sano himself.
Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child

1400s

Icilio Federico Joni, Sano di Pietro

(Italian, 1866–1946), (Italian, 1406–1481)
Italy, 15th century

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.