Fra Filippo Lippi
THE VIRGIN WITH CHILD
Tempera on panel, partially gilt. 81 x 62 cm.
Berenson, Valentiner, Gronau and lastly Jeffrey Ruda in his catalogue raisonné have all confirmed this piece as an original work of Filippo Lippi. Pudelko and Pittaluga however suppose it to be a workshop piece. According to Ruda, the beauty of the figural group, of which a 15th century copy is known to exist (Pittaluga, op. cit., p. 214), speaks for Lippi's authorship. The doubts as to the status of this work are probably grounded in its lesser artistic impact when compared to other, more well preserved pieces by this artist. Ruda assumes that the piece must once have been damaged. Two 20th century restorations are recorded - the first from 1934/35 and the second from 1970, carried out by Marco Grassi (J. Ruda op. cit.). The experts all agree that the piece can be dated to the 1450s.
As one of the greatest and most prolific Florentine painters of the 15th century, Filippo Lippi was able to gather a multitude of pupils and assistants around him to help carry out his commissions. Some of them are even known by name, such as his son Filippino or Fra Diamante.
Provenance
Carl W. Hamilton collection, New York 1917-1929. - Anderson Galleries, New York. - Leon Shinasi collection, New York. - Auction Parke Bernet, New York, 4.11.1944, lot 316. - Hubert Graf Deym, Munich. - Purchased from the Bernini Gallery, Vaduz 1974.
The Rau Collection for UNICEF
Literature
R. van Marle: The Development of the Italian Schools of Painting, X, The Hague 1928, p. 408. - G. Gronau: Fra Filippo Lippi, in: Thieme/Becker, Leipzig 1929. - B. Berenson: Italian Pictures of the Renaissance, Oxford 1932, p. 288. - G. Pudelko: Per la datazione delle opere di fra Filippo Lippi, in: Rivista d´arte18, 1936, p. 68. - M. Pittaluga: Filippo Lippi, Florenz 1949, p. 214. - B. Berenson: Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: Florentine School, 1963, vol. I, p. 113, vol. II, illus. 853. - K. Christiansen: New Light on the Early Work of Fra Filippo Lippi, Apollo 122, Nov. 1985, p. 340. - J. Ruda: Fra Filippo Lippi. Life and Work with a complete Catalogue, London 1993. p. 435, no. 44.
Exhibitions
New York, Duveen Galleries: Loan Exhibition of important Early Italian Paintings in the Possession of notable American Collectors, 1924, p. 4, no. 14. - Montclair, New Jersey, Art Museum: Loan Exhibition of Paintings, Furniture and Art Objects from the Collection of Carl W. Hamilton, Dec.1925 - January 1926, no. 92. - New York, Duveen Galleries: Early Italian Paintings, 1926, no. 7 (W. Valentiner catalogue).