The analyses on the Man of Sorrows inflame the debate on attribution
One of the last paintings by the Florentine painter still in private hands will be sold at the “Master Paintings and Sculpture” auction, Sotheby’s New York, on January 27, 2022.
A few weeks before the sale, perhaps to invalidate the rumors of “low quality”, “incompatible with the hand of the master”, the scientific studies carried out on the work were made public. And they revealed a surprising underdrawing: several “pentimenti” and a discovery: a Madonna and Child, which emerged under the various layers of paint, thanks to reflectography.
In the description of the Sotheby’s lot, the work is dated to around 1500, when Botticelli was around 55 years old. Therefore, it should not even be an immature and youthful work, as others had claimed.
Jesus is made with delicate brushstrokes of pink and brown on creamy tones. There is an incision marking the three-dimensional cross above the head of Christ. A practice commonly used by Botticelli, and by many other Renaissance artists: the borders of the pictorial part were marked to obtain guidelines in the creation of some geometric elements of the composition.
Through the reflectography, various changes made to the artist himself during the execution of the work are evident, such as in the arrangement of the thorns of the crown, the change in position of the eyebrows, the displacement of the oval of the face, and the wound on the side that has been moved down.
There are relevant changes also in the hands of Christ: the middle finger of the left hand was initially visible, outside the open wound and there is also a rethinking of the thumb.
But the surprises don’t stop there. In fact, you can see another underdrawing, only partially drafted and not connected to Christ image above: the panel was obviously conceived for a completely different subject.
By overturning the infrared image, the composition becomes more readable, the outlines of the figures of the Madonna and Child appear evident in a tender attitude, their cheeks touch, an idea deriving from the Virgin Eleousa (of “tenderness”), originating in the Greek tradition and that many Renaissance painters have reused.
The head of the Child turned upwards, supported by the hand of the Madonna, can be distinguished, the folds of the mantle are evident and are clear and dense. That is a compositional pose typical of Botticelli and his workshop – as reported by Sotheby – a cornerstone of Botticellian production, which was abandoned in favor of the one currently visible, for reasons that are still obscure.
In the lower part of the drawing, we can distinguish some lines that are thicker than others, probably made with liquid pigment.
Apostle, senior vice president and director of Sotheby’s Old Masters in New York, who had the opportunity to perform in-depth studies, suggests that it may be a unique piece, in fact there are no sources that certify the existence of replicas of this subject by Botticelli.
Apostle continues by explaining that the panel was a precious asset in the Renaissance and if by chance there was an aborted painting lying around, in this case a composition of the Madonna and Child, then you didn’t want to throw it away. Botticelli, therefore, reused the table by turning it, and using it for another composition.
The table is made of poplar wood, a typical support in Renaissance Florence. Sotheby’s analyses also reveal a crack in the center of the table and a knot in the wood. It is also noted that the painting was “reworked at some point in the 20th century“, as confirmed by Apostle, who goes on to say that “it is sandwiched on a modern board, with the original back and front on both sides”.
It is likely that Botticelli initially abandoned the table precisely because of the central node of the support, which was unsuitable for that type of composition.
Looking at the painting, one immediately notices that Christ’s face is off-center, shifted to the left (of the observer) perhaps precisely to avoid the imperfection of the support.
Apostle, speaking of his pictorial technique, then affirms that in this painting Botticelli “changed it“, by fusing tempera and oil. In addition, Sotheby’s specifies that XRF tests was carried out, and retouched areas appeared evident. The mappings indicate some elements used by Botticelli to create the work: lead white, copper green and/or blue, mercury red (vermilion) and iron brown (umber and other earth pigments).
Calcium appears everywhere, probably as chalk and bone black. It is not excluded that there are also other pigments, but it is likely that they have not been detected due to their atomic weight or because they are only in trace amounts.
The painting will start from an auction base of 40 million dollars, we are sure that surprises will not end there!
Technical analyses have once again played a fundamental role in the correct attribution.
