Loading, please wait...

Italian Virgin of Tenderness Icon Italian Virgin of Tenderness Icon Italian Virgin of Tenderness Icon
Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge
Details

LOT 0324

Italian Virgin of Tenderness Icon

CIRCA 19TH CENTURY A.D.

11 5/8 in. (279 grams, 29.5 cm high).

A painting on wood of the Virgin of Tenderness, copying an earlier work, depicting Mary dressed in blue robe ornamented with gold stars with an off-white veil delicately framing her face; gently supporting the Child dressed in red tunic; both figures nimbate and affectionately leaning towards each other with their cheeks touching; the scene enclosed in a gilt pseudo-Gothic crenelated frame, an inscription in new Gothic uncial style to the bottom reading 'AVE GRATIA PLENA' for 'hail full of grace'; mounted on a 19th century crenelated wooden pedestal fitted with candle holder to each side in the shape of a flower.

Provenance

Property of a London lady, part of her family's collection.

Literature

Cf. the Virgin with the Child of Sano di Pietro, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1975.1.51, for similar painting; cf. also Mazzoni, G., Falsi d'autore. Icilio Federico Joni e la cultura del falso tra Otto e Novecento, Siena, 2004, p.162, no.43.

Footnotes

The panel has many stylistic similarities with that of Icilio Federico Joni (1866-1946) assigned to the style of Sano di Pietro. Compared to that, the head of the Virgin has been realised in a more archaic Gothic style. With their faces gently pressed together, the interaction between the Virgin and the Child evokes a tender intimacy. This motif appears in numerous works by Sano di Pietro and his workshop (for example, in another painting in the Lehman Collection in MET, 975.1.39). The particular manner of concealing the Child’s right cheek behind the Virgin’s face was probably inspired by Madonna painted by the Sienese master Ambrogio Lorenzetti (Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena).

CONDITION
VETTING:

TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process


AUCTIONS:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

LOT 0324

Italian Virgin of Tenderness Icon

Estimate £700 - 900€810 - 1,040 (for guidance only)$950 - 1,220 (for guidance only)

Print page

RELATED LOTS
  • Northern Italian Gilt Wooden Casket
    Northern Italian Gilt Wooden Casket
    18th-19th century A.D.

    Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £2,000

    An architectural gilt wooden casket with hinged lid; the exterior with billeting, egg-and-dart ornament and gadrooning, flowering vegetal schemes over the whole; the two principal faces each with a central heater shield painted with heraldic devices, flanked by robed standing figures holding a book each within a niche and with a palmette motif above; remains of polychrome to the shields and elsewhere. 69.5 x 44.5 cm



    English private collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11679-199810

    The arms are quartered: or an eagle sable; sable a demi-lion rampant or issuant from a fess; sable a mullet of eight points or; or a lion's head erased sable; the repetition of the colours 'or' gold and 'sable' black may be due to the overall colour-scheme of the casket. The timber shows some old insect flight holes and we are advised that this piece has been recently treated with Permethrin, as a precaution.

    Lot Details

  • Post Medieval Gold A Friends Gift Posy Ring
    Post Medieval Gold 'A Friends Gift' Posy Ring
    Circa 18th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £312

    A gold posy ring with D-section band inscribed internally 'A friends gift' in lower case with initials 'I M' added after; with 'crown over T H' maker's punch. 1.94 grams, 15.23 mm overall, 12.85 mm internal diameter



    Acquired on the UK antiques market between 1974-1985. Albert Ward collection, Essex, UK.

    Lot Details

  • Post Medieval Wooden Box with Bone Inlays and Key
    Post Medieval Wooden Box with Bone Inlays and Key
    Late 19th-early 20th century A.D.

    Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £150

    A lockable hinged wooden traveller's box decorated with bone-inlaid floral vines to the top of the lid and all four side faces; India 4.38 kg, 46 x 31.5 cm



    English private collection.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list