The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child

1400s
(Italian, 1866–1946)

workshop of Sano di Pietro

(Italian, 1406–1481)
Italy, 15th century
tempera and gold on wood
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.)
Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon 1944.56
Location: not on view

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.
  • Mrs. B. B. Cleck; Henry White Cannon, Fiesole (1923)
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 1. European Paintings before 1500. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced: fig. 41, p. 117
    Saunders, Linnaea, E., "A Question of Forgery", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 43 no. 04, April 2003 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 4-5 archive.org
  • Object in Focus: 15th Century Sienese Paintings: A Question of Forgery. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-May 11, 2003).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; March 11- May 11, 2003. " Object in Focus: 15th Century Sienese Paintings: A Question of Forgery".
    The Madonna in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 9, 1947-February 9, 1948).
    The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936).
  • {{cite web|title=Virgin and Child|url=false|author=Icilio Federico Joni, Sano di Pietro|year=1400s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1944.56