Lot 1003 Dα

This previously unpublished polyptych has been known to scholars since at least 1982, when it was housed in an Italian private collection. In a photograph which he inscribed to the reverse "Alvaro Pirez (Zeri)", Federico Zeri attributed this work to the Portuguese artist Alvaro Pirez, and it is still listed as such by the Fondazione Zeri under the no. 11419.
However, Marius Mrotzek recently opposed this opinion in his monograph on Alvaro Pirez, an artist originally from Portugal who was active in Tuscany from around 1410-1434, primarily in the surroundings of Pisa. He instead attributes it to an unknown Tuscan master working around 1400. This painter may have been a Spanish artist accompanying Gherardo Starnina on his return to Florence from Spain in 1403. It could also be the product of an anonymous Tuscan master who, like Giovanni di Scolaio, was familiar with the works of the Iberian artists working in Tuscany and adopted their style in his paintings.
We would like to thank Gaudenz Freuler for his kind support in cataloguing this work.