Madonna and Child with Saints Luke and Catherine of Alexandria
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The ''Madonna and Child with Saints
Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...
and
Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, wh ...
'', also known simply as ''
Holy Conversation In art, a (; plural: ''sacre conversazioni''), meaning holy (or sacred) conversation, is a genre developed in Italian Renaissance painting, with a depiction of the Virgin and Child (the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus) amidst a group of saint ...
'', is a painting by the
Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...
master
Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...
. It is one of his several versions of the canonical image of the
Madonna and Child In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...
. Executed in oil on canvas, it was painted around 1560, at the height of Titian's career. In 2011, the painting achieved the highest auction price ever for one of Titian's works, at $16.9 million. The painting was sold by Gerlinda Kisters, who had inherited it from her husband, Heinz Kisters, who died in 1977.


Description

The ''Madonna and Child with Saints Luke and Catherine of Alexandria'' is a mature work executed when Titian was at the height of his artistic powers and fame. Christ is depicted as a playful baby, slightly off balance as He tips forward with arms outstretched towards Catherine, who in turn leans gently towards Him. It is suggested that members of Titian's Venice workshop probably painted the curtain and Luke, because of the lower quality of those parts.


History

The work was painted around 1560, rarely appearing in public at exhibitions or auctions. It is traditionally said to have been painted for the artist's friend, the Dondi dell'Orologio family of
Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
. It was not exhibited in public from the late 1970s, until it was offered for auction in 2011. The painting remained in the Dondi dell'Orologio family until Sir Richard Worsley purchased it during his stay in Italy as the last British Resident of Venice, a position he held from 1793 to 1797. The ship which was transporting the work back to England on was captured by a French privateer. The painting was acquired by
Lucien Bonaparte Lucien Bonaparte, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano (born Luciano Buonaparte; 21 May 1775 – 29 June 1840), was French politician and diplomat of the French Revolution and the Consulate. He served as Minister of the Interior from 1799 to 1800 ...
, then the Napoleonic Ambassador to
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
. By 1814, after four years exile in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, Lucien Bonaparte was facing growing financial difficulties and sold the painting at auction in London. The painting then became the property of Sir John Rae Reid, a Conservative politician, financier and a Governor of the
Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...
. By 1936, by marriage and inheritance, the painting had become a part of the
Panshanger Panshanger was a large country house located between the outer edge of Hertford and Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. History Earl Cowper, who later became Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, acquired the Cole Green estate c. 1700.R ...
Estate in
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, England, and hung in the estates gallery, owned by Baron and Lady
Desborough Desborough is a town in Northamptonshire, England, lying in the Ise Valley between Market Harborough and Kettering. It was an industrial centre for weaving and shoe-making in the 19th century and had a long association with the Co-operative mo ...
. Ettie Desborough was one of the most famous society hostesses of her age. She frequently hosted meetings of the celebrated aristocratic, political and literary figures known as "The Souls" at the Desborough residence, with visitors including
Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
,
Vita Sackville-West Victoria Mary, Lady Nicolson, CH (née Sackville-West; 9 March 1892 – 2 June 1962), usually known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author and garden designer. Sackville-West was a successful novelist, poet and journalist, as wel ...
,
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
, H. G. Wells,
Edith Wharton Edith Wharton (; born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and interior designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray ...
and
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
. Although Lady Desborough had three sons and a daughter and the succession and survival of Panshanger's grand collection of art seemed secure, two of her sons were killed in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the third in a car accident in 1926, leaving no obvious heir to the estate. After her death in May 1952, Panshanger was sold to a demolition contractor for £17,750 and subsequently destroyed. A portion of the art collection passed to Lady Desborough's daughter, Lady Imogen, who married the 6th
Viscount Gage Viscount Gage, of Castle Island in the County of Kerry of the Kingdom of Ireland, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1720 for Thomas Gage, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Gage, of Castlebar in the County of Mayo ...
in 1931. However, most of Panshanger's contents, including the ''Holy Conversation'', were auctioned at Christie's in 1954. In 1956, Heinz Kisters, a German businessman living in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, acquired the painting from the New York art dealers who had purchased the painting at the Christie's auction. When he died in 1977, the painting became the property of his widow, Gerlinda Kisters. In 2011, the painting was sold at auction in New York by Sothebys on behalf of the Heinz Kisters Foundation, which promotes and preserves the works of art in Heinz Kisters' collection. The painting achieved the highest auction price ever for one of Titian's works, at $16.9 million. It was sold at Sotheby's to a European telephone bidder on 28 January 2011.


References


{{DEFAULTSORT:Madonna And Child With Saints Luke And Catherine Of Alexandria Luke and Catherine 1560s paintings Paintings depicting Luke the Evangelist Paintings of Catherine of Alexandria