The Virgin and Child Surrounded by Saints and Angels

c. 1500

Fra Bartolommeo

Associated Names
Fra Bartolommeo

Artist, Florentine, 1472 - 1517

The image depicts a group of figures in a religious setting. The central figure is a seated woman holding a child who reaches out to another figure. The seated woman, likely the Virgin Mary, appears with subtle facial features and draped garments. The child she holds, likely Jesus, extends towards another child, possibly John the Baptist, held by a kneeling woman on the right side. Other figures in the scene include a kneeling man and at least two angelic figures above them, one of whom crowns the central figure. Additionally, there is a notable kneeling figure at the top left. Background elements include faint decorative designs.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink heightened with white lead over metalpoint underdrawing on prepared pink paper

  • Credit Line

    Anonymous Partial and Promised Gift

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 22.3 x 15.3 cm (8 3/4 x 6 in.)
    framed: 45.7 x 38.1 cm (18 x 15 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2003.119.1.a

Associated Artworks

The image depicts the lower portion of a person's figure, primarily from the waist down to the knees, in a kneeling position. The figure is positioned slightly towards the right side of the image. The person's facial features are not distinctly detailed. The figure appears to have long hair and is wearing a flowing garment, possibly a robe or dress. There is a circular form near the figure. The background is a lightly textured, pale surface with variations in shade, but there are no distinguishable features or objects.

A Kneeling Angel

Fra Bartolommeo

1472

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

William Mayor, London, died 1874(Lugt 2799); Baron Adalbert von Lanna [1836-1909], Prague. J.P. Heseltine, London [d.1929] (Lugt 1507). Paul Hermann von Schwabach [1867-1938], Berlin. Captain Norman Robert Colville [1893-1974]. Dr. and Mrs. Francis Springwell, Keswick, England. (their sale, Sotheby's London, 28 June 1962, no. 10); Hans Calmann [1899-1982], Somerset. John Goelet. (sale, Sotheby's New York, 17 November 1986, no. 6); Peter Jay Sharp; (Artemis, New York); Private collector.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1953

  • Drawings by Old Masters, Royal Academy, London, 1953, no. 24.

1959

  • Drawings by Old Masters from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Francis Springell, P, and D. Colnaghi and The Hatton Gallery, London and Newcastle upon Tyne, 1959, no. 17.

1994

  • European Master Drawings from the Collection of Peter Jay Sharp. National Academy of Design, New York, 1994, no. 20.

2007

  • Private Treasures: Four Centuries of European Master Drawings, The Morgan Library and Museum, New York, and National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2007

2012

  • Drawn to Excellence: Renaissance to Romantic Drawings from a Private Collection. Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA, and Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 10, 75, no. 1 (not reprod.).

Bibliography

1875

  • Mayor, W. A Brief Chronological Description of a Collection of Original Drawings and Sketches by the Most Celebrated Masters. London, 1875: no. 32.

1886

  • Gruyer, Gustav. Fra Bartolommeo della Porta et Mariotto Albertinelli. Paris, 1886: 101.

1938

  • Berenson, Bernard. Drawings of the Florentine Painters. Chicago, 1938: 2:no. 427a.

1976

  • Borgo, Ludovico. The Works of Mariotto Albertinelli. New York, 1976: p 307.

1986

  • Fischer, Chris. Disegni di Fra Bartolommeo e della sua scuola. Florence, 1986: under no. 30.

Wikidata ID

Q64562141

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