Francia, a native of Bologna, was born into a family of painters and goldsmiths. His paintings are technically accomplished and his rich, high-key coloring was praised by Vasari, the Renaissance biographer of the artists, who noted that “people ran like mad to see them.” Altarpieces, especially those representing the Virgin and Child enthroned with Saints, were his specialty. Stylistically eclectic, the artist absorbed contemporary developments from Venice, Florence and Umbria, as well as Flemish painting. Here, the importance of his two Umbrian counterparts, Perugino and Raphael, are evident in the tender, poetic expression of Francia’s figures. This intimate sacra conversazione (a ‘holy conversation’ between the Madonna, Child and Saints,) where the Child is presented on a parapet, is representative of the type of private devotional images found in homes and convents.
Details
- Artist Name: Francesco Raibolini called il Francia (Italian, c.1450-1517)
- Title: Madonna and Child with Saints Jerome and Francis
- Date: c.1500
- Medium: Oil on panel, transferred to canvas, retransferred to panel
- Dimensions: 24-3/4 x 18-5/8 in. (62.9 x 47.3 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1965.1.023.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Rt. Hon. T. Frankland Lewis, London.
Duff-Gordon Family, Kincardineshire, Scotland.
[Duveen Bros., New York, to];
William Salomon, New York (d. 1919), by inheritance to;
Mrs. William Salomon, New York, sold March 1923 to;
[Duveen Bros., New York, stock no. 28203, sold 1965 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Religious Paintings by Old Masters
- Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Art Gallery, 1945-12-02 to 1946-01-03
Paintings of the Italian Renaissance: Commencement Exhibition
- Northampton, Smith College, Tryon Gallery, 1929 to
[on loan]
- London, British Institution, 1843 to
Loan Exhibition of Italian Paintings of the XIV to XVI Century
- Detroit Institute of Arts, 1933 to
[on loan]
- Pittsburgh, Arlon Gallery, 1961-12 to 1962-01
[on loan]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1965 to
[on loan]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1970-01-28 to
[on loan]
- Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, 1972-09-19 to
[on loan]
- Detroit Institute of Arts, 1974-11-08 to
Masterpieces of Five Centuries, Forty-Eight Paintings and Sculptures from the Norton Simon Foundation and the Norton Simon, Inc. Museum
- Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, 1972-10-04 to 1973-11-04
[on loan]
- Fullerton Library, 1967-10-20 to 1969-04-27
Lock, Stock and Barrel: Norton Simon's Purchase of Duveen Brothers Gallery
- Norton Simon Museum, 2014-10-24 to 2015-02-16
- American Art News, p. 7
- New York Times,
- Phillips, C., Daily Telegraph,
- Valentiner, W., Art News, fig. 75 p. 9
- Waagen, G. F., Treasures of Art in Great Britian, 1854, p. 334
- Graves, A., A Summary and Index to Waagen Publication, 1912, p. 68
- Graves, A., A Century of Loan Exhibitions, 1913, p. 354
- New York Herald, 1922,
- Brockwell, M., Catalogue of the Paintings Belonging to William Salomon, 1922, no. 218
- Steinberg, Leo, October, 1983, p. 173
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, 1989, p. 19
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. D20 p. 442
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