Madonna and Child
Andrea Mantegna·c. 1505/1510
Historical Context
Andrea Mantegna's late Madonna and Child compositions, produced in the first decade of the sixteenth century in Mantua, represent his most refined synthesis of classical antiquity and Christian devotion. Working as court painter to the Gonzaga rulers of Mantua for nearly half a century, Mantegna had developed an archaeologically precise vision of antiquity that informed even his most intimate devotional works. The Madonna sits before a curtain or against a parapet in the manner of ancient relief sculpture, while the Christ Child's pose and the figures' grave expressions recall antique carved gems and sarcophagi. Circle or workshop attributions reflect the enduring demand for Mantegna's devotional compositions after his death in 1506, when his workshop continued producing works in his manner.
Technical Analysis
The oil on canvas shows a blend of Mantegna's precise linear style with the softer modeling that would become Correggio's hallmark. The sculptural treatment of form and careful attention to drapery folds suggest Mantegnesque training.
Provenance
Probably John Smith-Barry [b. 1725], Marbury Hall, Northwich, Cheshire;[1] by inheritance to his son, James Hugh Smith-Barry [1748/1749-1801], Marbury Hall; by inheritance to his illegitimate son, John Smith-Barry [1793-1837], Marbury Hall; by inheritance to his son, James Hugh Smith-Barry [1816-1856], Marbury Hall; by inheritance to his son, Arthur Hugh Smith-Barry, 1st [and last] baron Barrymore [1843-1925], Marbury Hall; (his estate sale, Sotheby's, London, 21 June 1933, no. 89, as by Mantegna); acquired by Borenius for (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris);[2] sold March 1937 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1939 to NGA. [1] The preface to the 1933 sale catalogue discusses the history of the collection, and the Smith-Barry family owners are detailed by the Getty Provenance Index; see also _Burke's Irish Family Records_, London, 1976: 76-77. [2] The List of purchasers and prices realized, in the NGA Library copy of the sale catalogue, confirms that no. 89 was purchased by Dr. Borenius. According to an annotated copy of the sales catalogue in the Waterhouse collection at the Getty Research Institute, Borenius was buying for Duveen. [3] The Duveen Brothers letter confirming the sale of twenty-four paintings, including NGA 1939.1.266, is dated 9 March 1937; the provenance is given as "Lord Barrymore Collection" (copy in NGA curatorial files; Box 474, Folder 5, Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles). See also The Kress Collection Digital Archive, https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/objects/1329.
