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Lot Essay
Bicci di Lorenzo belonged to an artistic dynasty that stretched for over a century. Born in 1373, he was the son of the prominent Late Gothic painter Lorenzo di Bicci, in whose Florentine studio he trained, and the father of Neri di Bicci. Bicci received commissions for some of the most important Florentine projects of his day, including the decoration of Sant’Egidio, where he worked alongside Domenico Veneziano and Piero della Francesca; several commissions for the Duomo; and a fresco decoration in the Compagni Chapel in Santa Trìnita.
This panel, which probably dates to around 1430, almost assuredly once formed the left wing of an altarpiece. The figures turn inward toward what must have been a central panel depicting the Virgin and Child, which would have been flanked on the right by a corresponding wing with another pair of saints. Though the other panels of this composition have yet to be identified, the format is typical of Late Gothic painting in the period. The tooling visible along the panel’s upper edge confirms that it retains its original arched appearance. The bottom edge appears to have been cut down at some point in its history, and it is unclear whether the figures were originally seen half- or full-length.
A similar pairing of Saints Anthony Abbot, identified by his tonsure, long beard, tau-shaped stick and monastic clothing, and James, who is seen with his pilgrim staff and a small scallop-shaped pouch, is known through a fragmentary panel by Bicci in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome.
We are grateful to Prof. Laurence Kanter for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs. The lot is accompanied by a copy of an expertise by Dr. Frank Dabell.
This panel, which probably dates to around 1430, almost assuredly once formed the left wing of an altarpiece. The figures turn inward toward what must have been a central panel depicting the Virgin and Child, which would have been flanked on the right by a corresponding wing with another pair of saints. Though the other panels of this composition have yet to be identified, the format is typical of Late Gothic painting in the period. The tooling visible along the panel’s upper edge confirms that it retains its original arched appearance. The bottom edge appears to have been cut down at some point in its history, and it is unclear whether the figures were originally seen half- or full-length.
A similar pairing of Saints Anthony Abbot, identified by his tonsure, long beard, tau-shaped stick and monastic clothing, and James, who is seen with his pilgrim staff and a small scallop-shaped pouch, is known through a fragmentary panel by Bicci in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome.
We are grateful to Prof. Laurence Kanter for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs. The lot is accompanied by a copy of an expertise by Dr. Frank Dabell.