(Pieve di Cadore circa 1485/90–1576 Venice)
Madonna and Child with Saint John, Saint Catherine and Saint Louis of Toulouse, circa 1520–1530,
oil on panel, laid down on panel, 76 x 107.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

The present work, which appears to be previously unpublished, is closely related in colour, tone and composition to works by Titian, such as the two versions of the Madonna and Child with Saints in the Louvre, Paris and in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Both paintings are generally dated to the early 1520s.

It has been suggested that the present work was produced in Titian’s studio and that it could be tentatively attributed to Francesco Vecellio (circa 1490–1559/60), Titian’s younger brother. It is possible to compare the present painting, in colour and tone, to the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine in the Royal Collection, London, which is generally given to Francesco, and to the Virgin and Child with Angels in the Galleria Palatina of Palazzo Pitti, Florence, which also bears an attribution to Francesco.

The horizontal format of the present painting and the representation of the half-length figures are typical elements of the Venetian tradition of painting. The Child is depicted lying down on a pillow, at the center of the scene, adored, respectively, by the Infant Saint John the Baptist, the Virgin, Saint Catherine, who wears a tiara adorned with pearls, and Saint Louis of Toulouse, with his characteristic precious chasuble decorated with the lilies of France. He wears gloves which are reminiscent of those in Titian’s paintings. The depiction of Saint Louis’ head in profile may represent the portrait of a donor who had the same name as the saint. The figure of Saint Louis in the present composition can be compared to Titian’s Young Englishman in Florence (Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti) which some art historians have dated to the 1520s and others to the 1540s.

The present composition has a distinctive colour range, from the intense blues of the Virgin’s drapery and the sky, to the reds of the curtain on the left background, of the Virgin’s garment and of the jewels and decoration on Saint Louis’s chasuble.

Provenance:
Private European collection

The present work, which appears to be previously unpublished, is closely related in colour, tone and composition to works by Titian, such as the two versions of the Madonna and Child with Saints in the Louvre, Paris and in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Both paintings are generally dated to the early 1520s.

It has suggested that the present work was produced in Titian’s studio and that it could be tentatively attributed to Francesco Vecellio (circa 1490–1559/60), Titian’s younger brother. It is possible to compare the present painting, in colour and tone, to the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine in the Royal Collection, London, which is generally given to Francesco, and to the Virgin and Child with Angels in the Galleria Palatina of Palazzo Pitti, Florence, which also bears an attribution to Francesco.

The horizontal format of the present painting and the representation of the half-length figures are typical elements of the Venetian tradition of painting. The Child is depicted lying down on a pillow, at the center of the scene, adored, respectively, by the Infant Saint John the Baptist, the Virgin, Saint Catherine, who wears a tiara adorned with pearls, and Saint Louis of Toulouse, with his characteristic precious chasuble decorated with the lilies of France. He wears gloves which are reminiscent of those in Titian’s paintings. The depiction of Saint Louis’ head in profile may represent the portrait of a donor who had the same name as the saint. The figure of Saint Louis in the present composition can be compared to Titian’s Young Englishman in Florence (Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti) which some art historians have dated to the 1520s and others to the 1540s.

The present composition has a distinctive colour range, from the intense blues of the Virgin’s drapery and the sky, to the reds of the curtain on the left background, of the Virgin’s garment and of the jewels and decoration on Saint Louis’s chasuble.