Beschreibung:

Priamo della QuerciaSiena active 1442 - 1467Madonna and Child enthroned, surrounded by angels
tempera on panel, gold groundpanel: 32¾ by 21¼ in.; 83.2 by 54.0 cm.framed: 37¾ by 25¾ in.; 95.9 by 65.4 cm.Condition reportThe following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
This work is restored and could well be hung in its current state. The gilding in the corners and within the composition itself appears quite fresh, and the gilding in the haloes and decorative parts of the clothing has been quite visibly restored. Retouches have been added to a horizontal crack in the panel that runs directly above the halo of the Madonna, which can be seen when the work is viewed under ultraviolet light. There is a vertical crack beginning beneath the saint in the pink gown immediately to the left of center, which runs through the left edge of the Madonna's halo and then down through the left side of her dark gown to the bottom edge. The retouches applied to this crack have discolored and could be reexamined. Another retouched vertical crack runs intermittently between the heads of the Madonna and child and continues through the right knee of the child and hand of the Madonna, ending near the bottom edge. Some spots of retouching have been added to the dark cloak on the left side. These are also discolored now and should be adjusted or replaced. There are a few dots of retouching in the rope around the center of the Madonna's gown. A few retouches can be seen around the edges when the work is viewed under ultraviolet light. No other retouches can be seen throughout the remainder of the picture, including the saints above. The varnish appears opaque under ultraviolet light, and there may be additional retouches beneath this. The work could be hung as is.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.ProvenanceArt market, Rome;
Where acquired by R. Langton Douglas (1864-1951) and Philip Lehman (1861-1947) on behalf of Arthur Lehman (1873-1936), New York, 1919;
Thence by inheritance to his wife, Adele L. Lehman (1882-1965), New York;
By whom bequeathed in her husband's memory to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 65.181.3), 1965;
By whom deaccessioned ("Property of The Metropolitan Museum of Art sold for the Acquisitions Fund"), New York, Sotheby's, 31 January 2013, lot 1;
Where acquired by the present collector.LiteratureC. Virch, The Adele and Arthur Lehman Collection, New York 1965, p. 16, reproduced (as uncertainly attributed to Lorenzo Veneziano, circa 1400);
B.B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections, Cambridge 1972, pp. 237, 332, 609 (as Romagnole,  15th century);
K. Baetjer, European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by artists born in or before 1865, A Summary Catalogue, New York 1980, vol. I, p. 94, reproduced vol. II, p. 147 (as North Italian, 3rd quarter of the 15th Century);
F. Zeri and E.G. Gardner, Italian Paintings: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, North Italian School, New York 1986, pp. 69–70, reproduced pl. 11 (as Unknown Emilian Painter, circa 1450);
A. De Marchi, "Michele di Matteo a Venezia e l'eredità lagunare di Gentile da Fabriano," in Prospettiva 51 (October 1987), p. 35 note 83 (as Pseudo-Giambono);
K. Baetjer, European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by artists born before 1865, A Summary Catalogue, New York 1995, p. 60, reproduced (as Priamo della Quercia ;
L. Pisani, "Appunti su Priamo della Quercia " in Arte cristiana 84, no. 774 (May–June 1996), pp. 175-176, 181-182 notes 32–33, reproduced fig. 7 (as an early work by Priamo della Quercia ;
C.B. Strehlke, Italian Paintings 1250–1450 in the John G. Johnson Collection and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia 2004, p. 363, no. 4 (as Priamo della Quercia .Catalogue noteThis devotional panel was painted around 1430 by Priamo della Quercia the brother of the celebrated Sienese sculptor Jacopo della Quercia. The panel was probably the central section of a polyptych depicting the Madonna as a full-length figure. It was only identified in print as by Priamo della Quercia in 1995, but Carlo Volpi had already proposed the attribution in a private letter to Federico Zeri in October 1981. Linda Pisani proposed that Saints Anthony Abbot and James the Major (Siena, Banca Monte dei Paschi) may have served as the left wing of a triptych for which the present panel formed the central section.  
Until Volpi's proposal the work's attribution had remained uncertain with suggestions of its possible authorship including artists active in a number of places between Emilia and Venice. Though subsequent scholars have settled on an attribution to Priamo, Andrea De Marchi suggested "Pseudo-Giambono," an anonymous artist active in Venice working under the influence of Gentile da Fabriano.