(Città della Pieve circa 1450–1523 Fontignano) Christ crowned with thorns; and The Virgin, oil on panel, each 33.5 x 27.5 cm, framed, a pair (2) Provenance: possibly collection of Cosimo Bordoni (1623–1703), Florence; Private collection, Northamptonshire; art market, England; Private collection, Switzerland Documented: possibly Inventory of the hereditary estate of the late doctor Cosimo Bordoni, who died in Florence on the 11th of June 1703/4 and whose living house was in Florence, via Tegolaia, Florence, 11 June 1703, Archivio di Stato, Florence, 2688, no. 54, transcribed in Getty Provenance Index, Archival Inventory I–119, no. 3, in the ‘Seconda camera su la sala al primo piano’: ‘Due quadri compagni, del Perugino: la Madonna e Giesù; ornamento liscio, tutto dorato. Ducati quattro lire 28’ Exhibited: Campione d’Italia, Galleria civica San Zenone, Perugino inedito a Campione d’Italia: quattro tavolette e un dittico, 15 October 2011 – 15 January 2012 (as Perugino); Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, Le Pérugin, Maître de Raphaël, 12 September 2014 – 19 January 2015, nos. 27–28 (as Perugino); Perugia, Palazzo Baldeschi al Corso, Nero Perugino Burri, 22 June – 2 October 2023, nos. 7 and 9 (as Perugino) Literature: F. F. Mancini, in: Perugino inedito a Campione d’Italia: quattro tavolette e un dittico, exhibition catalogue, Campione d’Italia 2011, pp. 61–95 (as Perugino); V. Garibaldi, in: Le Pérugin, Maître de Raphaël, exhibition catalogue, Brussels 2014, pp. 130–132, cat. nos. 27–28, illustrated (as Perugino); V. Garibaldi, B. Corà (eds.), Nero Perugino Burri, exhibition catalogue, Perugia 2023, pp. 92–93, cat. nos. 7 and 9, mentioned and illustrated on pp. 22, 54, 56, 60, 62 (as Perugino) The present pair of small paintings on panel, depicting Christ crowned with thorns, and the Virgin originally formed an easily transportable diptych, for use as a domestic altarpiece. The panels were attached to one another by shell shaped hinges (still partially present) and are backed by embossed leather, designed to resemble the cover of a manuscript or liturgical text. Garibaldi dates the present panels to Perugino’s Venetian period during the 1490s (see literature), and as such they are significant, rare works. Perugino was documented in Venice in 1494 when he was commissioned to decorate the Sala del Gran Consiglio in the Doge’s Palace, with a series of portraits and historical scenes, however this work was never completed. In 1495, he was possibly involved in the decoration of the Scuola di San Giovanni Evangelista. The present panels can be compared to works Perugino produced either during or immediately after his Venetian period, such as for example, his Pietà, now in The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts (inv. no. 1955.947) and the Portrait of a Young Man in the Uffizi, Florence (inv. 1890, no. 1474). At this time Perugino was also working on The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, conserved in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence (inv. no. Palatina 164) and the Pala dei Decemviri in the Vatican (inv. no. MV.40317.0.0). The representation of Christ crowned with thorns in the present diptych appears to relate to works by Antonello da Messina, who was highly influential in the production of late 15th century Venetian painting. Mancini compares the treatment of the hair in the present Christ to Antonello’s Dead Christ Supported by an Angel in the Prado, Madrid (inv. no. P003092, see literature). This influence is also evident in the deep bitumen-black background, similar to the one in Antonello’s Christ Blessing at the National Gallery in London (inv. no. NG673). The present Virgin can be compared to Perugino’s Magdalene in Palazzo Pitti, Florence (circa 1495, inv. no. Palatina 42) showing similar facial features with half-closed eyes, thin arched eyebrows and rose-coloured cheeks. Both figures are modelled with the same soft shadows around their noses, chins and lips, as can be compared to the female figure on the far right of the Marriage of the Virgin in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Caen (dated between 1502 and 1503, inv. no. 171). The present works painted in oil, display a sense of form created with an exceptional transparency of colour. The modeling and details of the figures are typical of Perugino, particularly the clothing, characterised by square necklines and created by the use of colours, including red and bottle green. Provenance: The present diptych’s early history is uncertain, however an inventory dated 11 June 1703, lists the possessions of Dr. Cosimo Bordoni, resident of via Tegolaia in Florence among which are ‘due quadri compagni del Perugino: la Madonna e Giesù; ornamento liscio, tutto dorato’ (‘two companion paintings by Perugino: the Madonna and Jesus; simple, fully gilded frames’). Bordoni was a prominent figure in eighteenth-century Florence and a friend of the art historian and biographer Filippo Baldinucci (see Mancini in literature). It has been suggested that the brass ornaments applied on the corners of the leather coverings on the back of the diptych are in the shape of a fleur-de-lis, a symbol associated with Florence, which may support the hypothesis that the present two panels may once have been part of a Florentine collection. Additionally, the wax seals on the verso of both paintings depict a falcon, a symbol commonly found in Tuscan family heraldry, such as in the various branches of the Falconi and Falconetti families. However, the family crests may also be English. Technical analysis by Gianluca Poldi The present pair of paintings are very rare from a technical point of view, painted on thin wooden boards (only 7 mm thick). The type of painting, created with very thin layers, and its craquelure are consistent with oil painting and the technical characteristics are coherent with the modus operandi of Perugino, one of the first great masters of oil painting in Italy. The original painted surface ended with the space occupied today by the frames, where the original frames were located, most likely glued to the panel, so that when closing the diptych, the painted parts would not collide and be damaged. The parts of the image, today hidden under the present frames, were painted later, probably in the 19th century, to fill the entire space of the two panels where the original engaged frames had been. The scientific non-invasive investigations carried out on the paintings, including digital optic microscopy, reflectance spectroscopy (vis-RS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), enable the painting technique to be appreciated, as well as the pigments used, which are the same in both paintings. The works are painted on a white ground, probably gesso. The black background contains not only a carbon black pigment and some amounts of earths (with a few manganese), but also a copper-based pigment, according to a frequent praxis in that period. It could be the same copper acetate (verdigris) was applied in thin glazes in the cloaks. The green colour used for the mantles may appear iconographically inconsistent, especially for the Virgin, which is usually blue, but here the painter is probably representing the lapel of the respective cloaks. The red tunics contain vermillion and are shaded with glazes of coccid-derived red lake. The same red lake is mixed with finely ground azurite in the purplish/mauve hair band of the Virgin and a fine, transparent veil painted with lead white, which is now barely visible. Flesh tones are a mixture of lead white, finely ground vermillion and ochres, with a few carbon black particles in the lights and more black added to the shadows. Vermillion is added to brown ochre in the hair, while the crown of thorns is simply made with black, gently highlighted with a grey mixture based on lead white. Traces of shell-applied gold are still visible above the black edge of the red robes and of the Madonna’s cloak. Infrared reflectographic imaging, carried out in the 850-1700 nm range, show only a few traces of underdrawing and no dots of pouncing: the painter could have used mainly a graphic medium transparent to IR radiation, as iron-gall ink, red chalk or a metalpoint, or simply a very thin black dry medium, partially erased by the brush while painting. A few thin black lines attributable to an outline drawing can be seen in the right side of the Virgin’s cloak and in the lower part of the noses. A small change occurred close to the tip of Christ’s nose, that was originally drawn a little higher. The painting is extremely precise, with insignificant adjustments to the contours of the figures. The IR appearance of a shadow on the Virgin’s green cloak is typical of Perugino’s practice, sometimes using black pigment. Back covering: The panels are covered on the back with brown leather with identical punched and gilded decorations, as if they were two book covers. There is no indication that such distinctive leather coverings were added later. It is indeed probable that these works, created for private devotion and easily transportable, were created on thin panels already prepared with the outer surface covered with leather, so as to be painted on the recto (inner side) in such a way as to form a folding diptych, in which the left wing (the opening one) presented the Virgin, the right wing (the closing plate) the Christ crowned with thorns, one mirroring the other. In the centre of the leather covering of the diptych the monogram ‘YHS’ is stamped with the crossed h, adopted in the mid-15th century by Saint Bernardino of Siena and his followers to signify the special devotion to the heart of Jesus. The monograms are surrounded by four cherubs’ heads in gold leaf. On the reverse of the Christ is the number 3 and the inscription ‘Francia’, written in italics using a dark ink, which is easier to read in IR images.
"Caen, Ville D'Art" by Le Perugin, 1975 Unsigned Offset Lithograph. Paper size is 29.25 x 19.75 inches, with an image size of 23.5 x 18 inches. The Offset Lithograph is from an unknown edition size. and is not framed. The condition was rated C: Several Signs of use and handling, some visible marks. Additional details:
Italian, inscribed on verso of neck 'Pietro Vannucci / Scolpi L'Anno 1887 / Massa Carrara', on a black marble base of a later date Bust: 33-1/2"h x 22"w x 12"d Pedestal: 25-1/2"h x 17"w x 17"d Provenance: Property from a New Jersey Gentleman
Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci, called Perugino (Città della Pieve ca. Head of a bearded man metalpoint (silverpoint?) heightened with white on gray prepared paper 9 3/8 x 7 ¾ in. (23.9 x 19.8 cm)
Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino (or his circle) Head of a Boy Print, Pietro Vannucci, genannt Il Perugino (oder Umkreis) Portrat eines Junglings, Print on paper measures approx 17 by 22 inches.
Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino (or his circle) Head Of A Boy Print, Pietro Vannucci, genannt Il Perugino (oder Umkreis) Portrat eines Junglings, Print on paper measuring in inches 17x22
Artist Name: Le Perugin Title: Caen, Ville D'Art Medium: Offset Lithograph Edition Size: Unknown Year: Unknown Paper Size: 29.25 x 19.75 inches Image Size: 23.5 x 18 inches Condition: C: Several Signs of use and handling, some visible marks
Artist Name: Le Perugin Title: Caen, Ville D'Art Medium: Offset Lithograph Edition Size: Unknown Year: Unknown Paper Size: 29.25 x 19.75 inches Image Size: 23.5 x 18 inches Condition: C: Several Signs of use and handling, some visible marks
