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Michele TOSINI known as Michele di Ridolfi or Michele Ghirla…
See original version (French)
Michele TOSINI known as Michele di Ridolfi or Michele Ghirla…
See original version (French)
Lot no. 59
Description
Michele TOSINI known as Michele di Ridolfi or Michele Ghirlandaio (Florence, 1503-1577)
Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist in a landscape with an ancient ruin
and a town in the background
Oil on softwood panel (reinforced with two panels overleaf)
68.5 x 57.2 cm
Wear and restorations
Viewing by appointment with the expert:
Alexis BORDES - 01 47 70 43 30 - [email protected]
Our painting is in the Florentine tradition of the Renaissance, combining formal balance, gentle expressions and rich colours. In our work, the Virgin Mary is represented with the tenderness of a mother, seated and leaning slightly towards the Child, creating a dialogue. Her face, imbued with serenity, reflects a calm and profound spirituality, while retaining a warm humanity that invites the viewer to contemplate. This painting belongs to a rather disparate group of works of roughly the same size, which repeat, down to the smallest detail, the same iconography that is both stable and dynamic: the figures of the Virgin, the Infant Jesus and the little Saint John the Baptist form a pyramid, while the light skin tones and draperies form a diagonal. Only the backgrounds differ from one painting to the next.
The composition was created around the middle of the 16th century by the Florentine artist Michele Tosini. A pupil of Lorenzo di Credi and Antonio del Ceraiolo, he later joined the workshop of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, hence his nickname Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio. A frescoist, portraitist and painter of devotional works, he was initially influenced by the great masters of the classical Renaissance, such as Andrea del Sarto and Fra Bartolomeo, before turning to the mannerism of Francesco Salviati, Agnolo Bronzino and Giorgio Vasari, whom he assisted in decorating the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. From then on, his style was characterised by sculptural figures, decorative attention to drapery and hair, and a vivid, bluish palette. Tosini was responsible for a number of important decorations and a large number of altarpieces and paintings, some of which he produced in his studio with the help of artists such as Bernardino Poccetti and Francesco Brini. Our painting is fully in keeping with this high-quality production, and the underlying drawing is visible beneath the layer of paint that has become translucent over time. However, our version differs from the others in that the background includes an imposing semi-circular ancient ruin to the left of the Virgin. Among the other known compositions, two were offered for sale in Vienna (Dorotheum) on 15 August 1964 (oil on panel, 75 x 56 cm), and in Milan (Finarte) on 24 May 1976 (oil on panel, 76 x 65.5 cm), both of which feature a landscape with a castle in the background, with a town to the right in the 1976 version. Other autographed versions are known in Baltimore, Walters Art Museum (inv. 37.1025), and in Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (inv. 165). Numerous replicas of varying size and quality have been found in private collections.
More than a sacred image, our Virgin and Child embodies the humanist ideal of the Renaissance, where beauty, tenderness and spirituality come together. Every detail bears witness to Michele Tosini's technical mastery and artistic sensitivity, making this work a moment of contemplation that is both moving and profoundly sacred.
Expert : Alexis BORDES
See original version (French)
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CONTENTS OF A CHATEAU IN ILLE-ET-VILAINE AND MISCELLANEOUS
35000 RENNES - France
91 premium lots |
228 lots
11/23/2025 : 2:00 PM
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