Misidentified Mantegna Discovered in Bergamo
The Art Newspaper reports that the curator of the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Italy, has discovered evidence to suggest that a painting of The Resurrection of Christ from the late fifteenth century was authored by Andrea Mantegna.
Noted as a composition by Mantegna in a ninteenth-century inventory of the collection of former trustee Guglielmo Lochis and also inscribed with the artist’s name on the reverse, the tempera on panel painting underwent later scrutiny that led attributions away from the Renaissance master. Nevertheless, clever curator Giovanni Valagussa noted the faint cross that appears the very bottom of the composition and suggested this meant the work was cut down from an originally larger composition. Further research linked this element to another Mantegna painting, Descent into Limbo (sold in a 2003 Sotheby’s auction), which he believes once formed the bottom half of this painting. It is unclear if this discovery will lead to a future meeting of the two paintings; in the short term, the Bergamo composition is slated for restoration work.
Further reading:
John Hooper, “How a $30 Million Renaissance Masterpiece was Found.” Wall Street Journal, 21 May 2018.
Hannah McGivern, “Italian museum discovers painting by Renaissance master Andrea Mantegna in its collection.” The Art Newspaper, 23 May 2018.
Nick Squires, “Tiny cross provides clue that reunited Renaissance masterpiece with its other half.” The Telegraph, 23 May 2018.
Andrea Mantegna (?), The Resurrection of Christ, 1492-1493. Image courtesy of The Art Newspaper.
Andrea Mantegna, Descent in to Limbo, 1492. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s Auctions.
Posted by Alexis Culotta