Madonna and Child with Two Angels, Saint Rose, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Perugino·late 1480s/early 1490s
Historical Context
This Madonna and Child with Two Angels, Saint Rose, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria from the workshop of Pietro Perugino, dating to the late 1480s or early 1490s, is a devotional panel reflecting the enormous demand for Perugino's compositions. Perugino ran one of the most productive workshops in Italy, and his harmonious, sweetly devotional style was endlessly replicated by his assistants. His serene Madonnas established a template that influenced the young Raphael, who trained in his studio.
Technical Analysis
The oil on panel shows the workshop's faithful reproduction of Perugino's characteristic soft modeling, symmetrical compositions, and gentle, idealized facial types. The smooth, luminous surfaces and the serene landscape background follow the master's established formula for devotional panels.
Provenance
Leon Potocki [1799-1864].[1] Sir George Donaldon [1845-1925], London; sold 1907 to William A. Clark [1839-1925], New York;[2] bequest 1926 to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art. [1] On the reverse of the painting is a paper label depicting a crown, plumes, a coat of arms, and the name "Leon Potocki." [2] Dana H. Carroll, _Catalogue of Objects of Fine Art and Other Properties at the Home of William Andrews Clark, 962 Fifth Avenue_, Part I, Unpublished manuscript, n.d. (1925): 128, no. 60. Carroll writes that the painting belonged to "Prince Sotocke," likely an incorrect rendering of Leon Potocki's name.
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