Lot 2004 D α

According to the previous owners, the descendants of the collector George Duruy-Jubinal de Saint-Albin, this triptych is said to have belonged to the French Emperor Napoleon III in the mid-19th century. Whether it was previously in the possession of the Roman collector Giampietro Campana (1808-1880), as is also assumed, has not yet been proven but is quite possible, because when his collection was sold in around 1860, the Emperor was among the most active buyers. Moreover, in the field of early panel painting, Campana had a striking preference for the so-called “Primitivi” and especially for the regional masters from Umbria and the Marches.
This charming triptych can be assigned to that artistic environ and dated to around 1455/1460. Although it still reflects the late Gothic style, the characteristics of the early Renaissance can also be seen making their first tentative appearances. What is most striking, however, is its regional character. It is reminiscent of the works produced by the artists of Camerino, a small town on the border between the regions of Marche and Umbria, which produced some remarkable painters in the mid-15th century known as the “Pittori del Quattrocento a Camerino”. Although this work cannot be ascribed for certain to any of the artists from this circle known by name, it nevertheless presents an impressive and perfectly conserved example of their local flair.