|
Other titles
The Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist
circa 1542
Painting
oil on panel
92.0 x 69.0cm panel; 134.5 x 100.0 x 18.0cm frame
Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 1992
231.1992
Art Gallery of NSW, Ground Level, European Art 15th-18th Century Galleries, Fairfax Galleries/Room 2
Further information
Reversing the pose of Ferrucci's relief, this marvel of mannerist painting also shows the new directions of Italian art in the sixteenth century. With its mysterious luminosity and boldly defined figures, it suggests statuary viewed by candle-light. Beccafumi has paid homage to Michelangelo in the volumetric forms of the Madonna and her draperies and the 'contrapposto' of her pose. For the suppleness of flesh and softness of atmosphere, however, Beccafumi has turned to Leonardo's testing 'sfumato' technique. This imbues his altarpiece with a theatricality that is utterly in accord with the mannerist aesthetic in which Beccafumi was steeped throughout his long career. As a master trained in Siena, a city dedicated to the Virgin, Beccafumi produced innumerable versions of this subject. In this case, the result is a painting of exceptional poetic power.
AGNSW Handbook, 1999.
Provenance
The Matthiesen Gallery (England), pre 24 Aug 1992, London/England, Purchased by the AGNSW from Matthiesen Gallery 1992
Sotheby's London (England), 07 Dec 1988, London/England, lot 83
Private Collection, pre 07 Dec 1988, London/England, Sold Sotheby's London, 7 December 1988, lot 83 for £297,000
Private Collection, pre 1936, Monaco, Il dipinto, giunto prima del 1936 da Monaco a Londra, è attualmente nella Galleria Matthiesen. [the painting, which arrived in London from Monaco before 1936, is now in the Gallery Matthiesen.] see 'Beccafumi' by Piero Torriti, Electa 1998, pg. 187
A.S. Drey (Germany), pre 1936, Munich/Germany, [dealer]
Bibliography
Periodical; Look; Jill Sykes (Australia); Sep 2004, 15, 'Foundation building' by Michael Wardell, pg.14-17
General/Book; Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook; Bruce James (Australia), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1999, 21 (colour illus.), 'Western Collection: Paintings and Sculpture' by Bruce James, pg. 17-77.
Book; Beccafumi; Piero Torriti (Italy); 1998, 187-188, 187 (colour illus.), P84
Annual report; Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Annual Report 1997; Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1997, 19 (colour illus.)
General/Book; The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections; Ewen McDonald (Australia); 1994, 111 (colour illus.), 'The Western Heritage, Renaissance to Twentieth Century' by Renée Free, pg. 108-172.
Exhibition catalogue; Great gifts, great patrons: an exhibition celebrating private patronage of the Gallery; Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874); 1994, no pagination or catalogue numbers
General/Book; International Museums Diary; Editor Unknown; 1994, (illus.)
Periodical; F.M.R. International; Editor Unknown; 1990, 21-44, 41 (illus.), 'Sulphuric Mannerism' by V.G. Sgarbi and A.Hawser, pg. 21-44., cat.no. 46
Exhibition catalogue; Domenico Beccafumi e il suo Tempo; Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena (Italy); 1990, 212, 213 (colour illus.), cat.no. 37
Auction catalogue; Sotheby's London: Old Master Paintings; Editor Unknown; 07 Dec 1988, 26, 27 (colour illus.), cat.no. 83
Exhibition venue
Title: Great gifts, great patrons
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 17 Aug 1994
Closing: 19 Oct 1994
Title: Domenico Beccafumi e il suo tempo
Venue: Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena
Opening: 16 Jun 1990
Closing: 16 Sep 1990
Notes: cat.no. 37
|
