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Lot Essay
At its first exhibition in 1955 in Birmingham this predella was recognised as the work of Benozzo Gozzoli (loc. cit.). Although Benozzo Gozzoli was one of the most prolific fresco painters of his generation in Tuscany, his panel paintings are rare, for most are part of large altarpieces.
The symmetrical composition of The Lamentaion indicates that it was the central panel of a predella: the stiffened body of Christ is stretched out on the linen cloth on the ground, his head is rested on the praying Virgin's lap, Saint John the Evangelist and Mary, the wife of Clopas, tend the wounds of his hands, while his feet are embraced by the Magdalen. Saint Anne kneels behind the Virgin, and her presence is balanced by the holy women behind the Magdalen. The composition is closed on each side by two kneeling figures, Saint Joseph and his namesake Joseph of Arimathaea with the Crown of Thorns on the left and an unidentified Saint and Nicodemus with the Nails on the right.
The bright pigments of the drapery result in the intense yet harmonious display of colours over the entire surface, ranging from the dark blue of the Virgin's cloak at the head of Christ, to the bright red of that of the Magdalen, at His feet, a contrast balanced by the ochre of the cloak of the kneeling Mary.
It is precisely this rich use of colour and detailed landscape, which betray a certain horror vacui, for which Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoes were much admired. Although the predella is conventional in iconography and narrative organization, the compositional coherence illustrates a grasp of formal design that was developed in later, larger works. The most celebrated example of this is the fresco cycle for Piero de' Medici with The Adoration of the Magi, in the chapel of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence, painted in 1459-61, or the panel altarpiece of the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints and Angels (National Gallery, London), commissioned in 1461 for the Confraternity of the Purification, affiliated to S Marco, Florence.
In her catalogue raisonné, Diane Cole Ahl points out that the painted surface of the panel is 'in very good condition' and that 'its oblong format and continuous, fully integrated composition represent the culmination of Benozzo's understanding of the Predella. The panel calls to mind the later Camposanto frescoes, in its deep horizon, mist-shrouded hills, meandering paths, and distant city. The rhythmic composition and varied gestures of the mourners further demonstrate its association with the late Pisan murals' (loc. cit.). Furthermore, she compares the picture with the Four Saints and Donors (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) which is dated 1481, the Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and Donors (Pisa), and the Castelnuovo Tabernacle from 1484. Both she and Padoa Rizzo do not exclude studio participation in the lateral figures, and recognises the hand of the same assistant who worked on the Legoli Tabernacle (1479) and the New York Four Saints and Donors (1480; loc. cit.). Although this dating has been generally accepted, it was suggested in Colnaghi's catalogue and subsequently by David Scrase that its style was closer to that of the 1460s (loc. cit.), comparing it to the two large altarpieces in the Museo Civico, San Gimignano and to the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine (Pinacoteca Comunale, Terni), all signed and dated 1466.
In his review of the 1955 Birmingham exhibition, Ellis Waterhouse not only confirmed the attribution but also recorded that the picture had been with Samuel Woodburn and was part of his sale in these Rooms in 1860. Woodburn was one of the most distinguished collectors and dealers, whose reputation for expert judgement and professional integrity was universal. He was instrumental in creating several important public and private collections in Britain and on the Continent, including those of the British Museum and the National Gallery, for which he made such major purchases as Agostino Carracci's Cephalus Carried off by Aurora in her Chariot and the Woman Borne off by a Sea God. Woodburn was also important in the field of Old Master Drawings, bringing to London collections of drawings of for example Marchese Antaldo Antaldi's drawings by Raphael. In gratitude for Woodburn's supply of superlative drawings to his collection, Thomas Lawrence painted his portrait (Fitzwilliam Museum).
We are grateful to Everett Fahy for confirming the attribution; he considers the work typical of Benozzo Gozzoli's style in the 1480s.
The symmetrical composition of The Lamentaion indicates that it was the central panel of a predella: the stiffened body of Christ is stretched out on the linen cloth on the ground, his head is rested on the praying Virgin's lap, Saint John the Evangelist and Mary, the wife of Clopas, tend the wounds of his hands, while his feet are embraced by the Magdalen. Saint Anne kneels behind the Virgin, and her presence is balanced by the holy women behind the Magdalen. The composition is closed on each side by two kneeling figures, Saint Joseph and his namesake Joseph of Arimathaea with the Crown of Thorns on the left and an unidentified Saint and Nicodemus with the Nails on the right.
The bright pigments of the drapery result in the intense yet harmonious display of colours over the entire surface, ranging from the dark blue of the Virgin's cloak at the head of Christ, to the bright red of that of the Magdalen, at His feet, a contrast balanced by the ochre of the cloak of the kneeling Mary.
It is precisely this rich use of colour and detailed landscape, which betray a certain horror vacui, for which Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoes were much admired. Although the predella is conventional in iconography and narrative organization, the compositional coherence illustrates a grasp of formal design that was developed in later, larger works. The most celebrated example of this is the fresco cycle for Piero de' Medici with The Adoration of the Magi, in the chapel of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence, painted in 1459-61, or the panel altarpiece of the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints and Angels (National Gallery, London), commissioned in 1461 for the Confraternity of the Purification, affiliated to S Marco, Florence.
In her catalogue raisonné, Diane Cole Ahl points out that the painted surface of the panel is 'in very good condition' and that 'its oblong format and continuous, fully integrated composition represent the culmination of Benozzo's understanding of the Predella. The panel calls to mind the later Camposanto frescoes, in its deep horizon, mist-shrouded hills, meandering paths, and distant city. The rhythmic composition and varied gestures of the mourners further demonstrate its association with the late Pisan murals' (loc. cit.). Furthermore, she compares the picture with the Four Saints and Donors (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) which is dated 1481, the Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and Donors (Pisa), and the Castelnuovo Tabernacle from 1484. Both she and Padoa Rizzo do not exclude studio participation in the lateral figures, and recognises the hand of the same assistant who worked on the Legoli Tabernacle (1479) and the New York Four Saints and Donors (1480; loc. cit.). Although this dating has been generally accepted, it was suggested in Colnaghi's catalogue and subsequently by David Scrase that its style was closer to that of the 1460s (loc. cit.), comparing it to the two large altarpieces in the Museo Civico, San Gimignano and to the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine (Pinacoteca Comunale, Terni), all signed and dated 1466.
In his review of the 1955 Birmingham exhibition, Ellis Waterhouse not only confirmed the attribution but also recorded that the picture had been with Samuel Woodburn and was part of his sale in these Rooms in 1860. Woodburn was one of the most distinguished collectors and dealers, whose reputation for expert judgement and professional integrity was universal. He was instrumental in creating several important public and private collections in Britain and on the Continent, including those of the British Museum and the National Gallery, for which he made such major purchases as Agostino Carracci's Cephalus Carried off by Aurora in her Chariot and the Woman Borne off by a Sea God. Woodburn was also important in the field of Old Master Drawings, bringing to London collections of drawings of for example Marchese Antaldo Antaldi's drawings by Raphael. In gratitude for Woodburn's supply of superlative drawings to his collection, Thomas Lawrence painted his portrait (Fitzwilliam Museum).
We are grateful to Everett Fahy for confirming the attribution; he considers the work typical of Benozzo Gozzoli's style in the 1480s.