FG FINE ART LTD
Master of Sant'Ivo
Florence, active in the first quarter of the XV century
The Master of Sant’Ivo derives his name from a painting of highly unusual subject, Saint Ivo in Judgement , formerly in the Palazzo di Parte Guelfa and now in the Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence. Federico Zeri was first to ascribe a group of works to this master in 1967, calling him the “Master of the Madonna of the Christ Church Gallery” owing to the similarity between a Madonna of Humility in Christ Church Picture Gallery, Oxford (inv. 17), and another in the collection of the Vatican Museums . A few years later, in 1975, Miklòs Boskovits grouped thirty-five paintings under the master’s hand, renaming him the “Master of Sant’Ivo”, and this corpus has since expanded to forty-eight works.
Madonna and Child with Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint John the Baptist,
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Paul and two angels playing musical instruments
Tempera on panel, 83.8 x 46.6 cm
PROVENANCE
Paris, André de Labrouhe de Laborderie
Their deceased sale, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller, 23 May 1922, lot 8
London, Christie’s, 14 December 1923, lot 9
London, J. Leger & Son
Lucerne, art market
Switzerland, private collection, in the early 1980s
London, Sotheby’s, 9 April 2025, lot 1
BIBLIOGRAPHY
O. Sirén, Catalogue d’une Vente Importante de Tableux Anciens. Collections A. De La Babrouhe de Laborderie, Amsterdam 1922, p. 4
The attribution of this fine Madonna and Child, surrounded by four saints and two musical angels, to the Master of Sant’Ivo was proposed by Sonia Chiodo and supported by Angelo Tartuferi. However, at the time of the sale of the André de Labrouhe de Laborderie collection in 1922, Osvald Sirén had put forward a - quite understandable - attribution to Mariotto di Nardo. The Master of Sant’Ivo derives his name from a painting with a highly unusual subject, Saint Ivo as Judge, which originated in the Palazzo di Parte Guelfa and is now housed in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. It was Federico Zeri who, in 1967, first attributed a group of works to this master, naming him the “Master of the Christ Church Gallery Madonna” due to the resemblance between a Madonna of Humility in the Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford (inv. 17) and another in the Vatican Museums collection (inv. 178). A few years later, in 1975, Miklòs Boskovits grouped thirty-five paintings under the name “Master of Saint Ivo”; since then, this corpus has expanded to include forty- eight works.
Active between approximately 1390 and 1415, the master produced early works that show strong affinities with those of Agnolo Gaddi, suggesting he trained in the latter’s workshop. His later output, however, reveals stylistic links to the works of Lorenzo Monaco, Lippo d’Andrea, and - as is clearly evident from this panel - Mariotto di Nardo. Judging by the paintings attributed to him thus far, the Master of Sant’Ivo appears to have specialized in small-scale works, often depicting the Madonna and Child, intended for private domestic devotion.
This refined painting - distinctive for the inclusion of two music-making angels inspired by the style of Mariotto di Nardo - exemplifies the type of artwork that might have adorned the home of a wealthy Florentine patron at the turn of the 15th century.
The depiction of the two music-making angels at the Virgin’s feet is a particularly inspired touch. The angel on the left is shown almost frontally, face upturned, whereas the one on the right is seen from behind. This latter choice introduces a striking spatial variation: the angel’s body - positioned diagonally relative to the picture plane and distinguished by large red wings - leads the eye toward the centre of the composition and helps to enhance the sense of depth. Indeed, the presence of these music-making angels is one of the work’s most distinctive features, reflecting the influence of Mariotto di Nardo’s models.
The relationship with Mariotto di Nardo becomes even clearer when comparing the work to a Virgin and Child with a Female Martyr Saint, Saint John the Baptist, and Two Angels that was sold at Sotheby’s in London in 1987. Both compositions share the arrangement of the Virgin and Child at the centre, flanked by saints, but - more importantly - they feature the distinctive motif of a kneeling angel seen from behind, repeated in an almost identical manner, save for the choice of colours. A closely analogous figure also appears in the Coronation of the Virgin with Five Musical Angels (dated 1408, now at the Minneapolis Institute of Art), which was originally created for the Florentine church of Santo Stefano in Pane.
A full fact sheet is available on request.
