A Virgin and Child painting attributed to The Master of Marradi which is estimated at £50,000-80,000 at Anderson & Garland.
Unseen in public for over 100 years, the depiction of the Virgin and Child is estimated at £50,000-80,000 at the sale on July 23-24.
The painting was long thought to be the work of fellow Italian artist Bernardino di Betto (1454-1513), commonly known as Pinturicchio (Little painter), and was previously part of the renowned collection of Charles Butler (1821-1910), the director of the Royal Insurance Company.
It featured in some prominent exhibitions in the late 19th century, including one at the Royal Academy in 1881 and another at the New Gallery in Regent Street where it was hung alongside works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and another Pinturicchio piece loaned from The Royal Collection by Queen Victoria.
Following Butler’s death, the painting was sold at Christie’s for £1102 (roughly equivalent to £140,000 today) where it was believed to have been purchased by the vendor’s great grandmother.
Anderson & Garland said that after the work was reviewed by its art specialists as well as “other industry experts”, it has now been attributed to the Master of Marradi.
This artist, whose real name remains unknown, was active in active in Tuscany at the end of the 15th century and is celebrated for his depictions of the Madonna, Saints, and other Christian religious themes. His name from five works originating from the monastery of Santa Reparata, the Badia del Borgo, near Marradi.
Like Pinturicchio, his style was heavily influenced by contemporaneous Florentine painters, especially Domenico Ghirlandaio and Pietro Perugino.
Fred Wyrley-Birch, Director at Anderson & Garland said: “It is rare to see work by the Master of Marradi at auction, and we are proud to be able to offer it for sale. We expect lots of interest and interested parties are welcome to view the painting at our showroom in Newcastle prior to its sale.”
According to Artprice.com, only around two dozen works of The Master of Marradi have emerged at auction in the last 40 years. The highest recorded hammer price for the artist is the $830,000 (£604,685) for The Death of Lucretia at the Banquet of Lucius Junius Brutus, and oil and tempera on panel that sold at Sotheby's New York in 2021.
Another Old Master in the Anderson & Garland sale is a depiction of The Holy Family by Jean Phillips van Thielen (1618-67). Also consigned by a Northumberland family, it is estimated to sell for £15,000-25,000.
