Antonio SOLARIO, known as Le Zingaro (1465–1530) - Lot 37

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Lot n° 37
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Estimation :
20000 - 30000 EUR
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Antonio SOLARIO, known as Le Zingaro (1465–1530) - Lot 37
Antonio SOLARIO, known as Le Zingaro (1465–1530) Virgin and Child with Saint Joseph and Saint John the Baptist Linden panel, reinforced Height: 51.5 cm Width: 35 cm Historical restorations Provenance: -Auction in London, Christie’s, July 7, 2006, lot 136 (attributed to Pier Maria Pennachi) -Auction in Paris, Hôtel Drouot, PIASA, November 15, 2013, lot 67 (attributed to Benvenuti, known as l’Ortolano; sold for €29,000) -Acquired at this auction by the current owner. Bibliography: - Marco Tanzi, “Aggiornamenti per Filippo da Verona,” *Verona illustrata*, XIX, 2006, pp. 97–107; our painting is discussed on p. 106, note 2, as a work by Johannes Hispanus - Laura Pagnotta, in “Bollettino d’Arte” 2011, pp. 59–108 (Johannes Hispanus) - Stefania Castellana, Johannes Hispanus, Persico Dosimo (CR), 2017, pp. 104–107 (“Master of Saint Dorothy”). This painting exhibits all the characteristics of a small group of very high-quality works whose attribution has varied between two itinerant painters active in Italy during the first quarter of the 16th century, both of whom were marked by the same influences: Johanes Hispanus and Antonio Solario (who is not related to his Milanese namesake, Andrea Solario, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci). Notable works in this group include *The Virgin and Child with Saint Dorothea* (auction in London, Sotheby’s, December 6, 2006, lot 33, attributed to Antonio Solario), *The Virgin and Child with Saints Anthony the Abbot and Dorothy* (auction in London, Christie’s, July 1, 2026, lot 152, attributed to Johannes Hispanus). Stefania Castellana had excluded them from the corpus of Johannes Hispanus and grouped them under the conventional name “Master of Saint Dorothy,” a view from which she has since retreated. The distinction between these two Renaissance artists is based on a very small number of paintings signed by each of them and stylistically similar: against a Venetian background influenced by Giovanni Bellini, these painters incorporate elements from Perugino and Pinturicchio, from Ferrara masters such as Boccaccino or Mazzolino, and from Lombard masters such as Bramantino. The artist born in Spain, on the other hand, appears to have been slightly influenced by the Florentine school, particularly Botticelli and Piero di Cosimo (stories from the *Decameron*, on loan to the Prado Museum in Madrid), which is not the case for Solario or our painting. Information about Andrea Solario’s life and career is scarce and uncertain, starting with his place and date of birth. It is believed that he trained in Venice (he signed the Madonna at the National Gallery in London “venetus”), then worked in the Marche region between 1502 and 1506, painted a cycle of twenty frescoes at the monastery of Santi Severino e Sossio in Naples (now the State Archives). He signed and dated his two masterpieces: *Salome Holding a Violin* and *Herodias with the Head of Saint John the Baptist* in 1511 (Doria Pamphilj Gallery, Rome), followed by the *Withypool Altarpiece* from 1514 (Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery). It is unclear what his activities were after this date; some suggest he was in England (the poet and antiquarian John Leland, curator of Henry VIII’s libraries, cites numerous works by him in that country). He appears to have been slightly influenced in the second half of his career by his namesake Andrea Solario. Our panel can be compared to the “Holy Conversation” around the Virgin and Child at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore (inv. 37.502). We often find in his work the same type of children with blond curls, bright green curtains, and windows opening onto a northern landscape, for example in the *Virgin and Child* at the Museo Civico di Belluno (stolen in 1973 and recovered in 2025). The tree’s foliage and the blue mountain are almost reminiscent of certain watercolors by Dürer. We thank Mauro Lucco for suggesting this attribution to Antonio Solario for this painting based on a digital photograph in June 2026, and for his assistance in drafting this description. Expert: Stéphane Pinta, Turquin Gallery (viewable by appointment at the expert’s office)
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