Madonna and Child with Saints and Donors

1490s

Probably Gasparo Cairano

Associated Names
Gasparo Cairano

Sculptor, Lombard, active 1489/1513 - died by 1519

The sculpture depicts a central seated figure with a child on their lap, surrounded by various standing and kneeling figures on either side. The central figure is dressed in a draped garment, and holding a small child as they sit on a throne-like chair. The figures surrounding this central pair are in various poses, some holding books, others with hands in a gesture of discussion or holding their attire, and two figures at the forefront are kneeling. The piece is carved from a pale colored material, exhibiting fine details in the folds of clothing and facial features. The sculpture has a relief style with multiple figures conveying a narrative scene, crafted with meticulous attention to period attire and accoutrements.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    marble

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 55 x 91 cm (21 5/8 x 35 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1939.1.336

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Niccolini Collection, Florence. Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi [1878-1955], Rome and Florence. Acquired 1936 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1939 to NGA.[1]
[1]Provenance according to Ulrich Middeldorf, Complete Catalogue of the Samuel H. Kress Collection: European Sculptures XIV-XIX Century, 1976, p. 58.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1938

  • Eighteenth Loan Exhibition of Old Masters: Exhibition of Italian Gothic and Early Renaissance Sculptures, Detroit Institute of Arts, 1938, no. 84.

Bibliography

1938

  • Ragghianti, Carlo. "La Mostra di scultura italiana antica a Detroit (U.S.A.)." Critica d'Arte 3:4–6 (fasc. 16–18) (August–December 1938): 170-183, esp. 182.

1941

  • Preliminary Catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1941: 230, no. A-40, as Madonna and Child with Saints by Pyrgoteles.

  • Frankfurter, Alfred M. “Great Sculpture of the Italian Renaissance in the National Gallery.” Art News 40, no. 9 (1-31 July 1941): 12, repro.

1942

  • Book of Illustrations. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 254, repro. 232, as Madonna and Child with Saints by Pyrgoteles.

1945

  • Shapley, Fern Rusk. "A Portrait of Francesco Sforza." The Art Quarterly 9 (Winter 1945): 25-39, esp. 37, 39 n.31.

1950

  • Dell'Acqua, Gian Alberto. "Problemi di scultura lombarda: Mantegazza e Amadeo (II)." Proporzioni 3 (1950): 123-140, esp. 136 n. 9.

1951

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Gothic and Renaissance Sculptures in the Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum. Los Angeles, 1951: 102 n. 9.

1959

  • Paintings and Sculpture from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1959: 411, repro., as Madonna and Child with Saints by Pyrgoteles.

1964

  • Pope-Hennessy, John, assisted by Ronald Lightbown. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. 3 vols. London, 1964: 2:520.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 165, as Madonna and Child with Saints by Pyrgoteles.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 145, repro., as Madonna and Child with Saints by Pyrgoteles.

1976

  • Middeldorf, Ulrich. Sculptures from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: European Schools XIV-XIX Century. London, 1976: 58-59, repro. figs. 101-102.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 137, repro.

2001

  • Zani, Vito. "Gasparo Cairano. Madonna col Bambino." In Spunti per conversare. Exh. cat. Galleria Nella Longari, Milan, 2001: 17-32, fig. 4.

2003

  • Zani, Vito. "Sulle nostalgie di Ambrogio Mazzola, scultore bresciano del Cinquecento." Civiltà Bresciana XII, no. 1 (March 2003): 5-24, esp. 9-11, repro.

2010

  • Zani, Vito. Gasparo Cairano e la scultura monumentale del Rinascimento a Brescia (1489-1517 ca.). Brescia, 2010: no. 24, fig. 165, 4, 69 n. 193, 113, 132-133

Wikidata ID

Q63810073

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