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Fragment from Christ Carrying the Cross: Mourning Virgin
Historical Context
This fragment preserves the mourning Virgin from a larger Christ Carrying the Cross composition by the Master of Moulins. The panel was separated from its original altarpiece, likely during the dispersal of Bourbon collections. The Master of Moulins, now identified as Jean Hey, was the most accomplished French painter of the late 15th century, working in a style that bridged Northern European naturalism and Italian monumentality.
Technical Analysis
The fragment reveals Hey's characteristic refinement in modeling the Virgin's grief-stricken features with subtle tonal gradations. The oil-on-panel technique achieves remarkable emotional intensity through restrained, precise brushwork and delicate sfumato effects around the eyes.
Provenance
In Italy by the late 19th century. Giannino Marchig, by 1950 [photo of the painting at I Tatti, Fiesole, is marked "photo sent by Marchig Feb. 24 1950" with an annotation "Maitre de Moulins" in Bernard Berenson's handwriting; e-mail from Fiorella Superbi, I Tatti, to Tiffany Johnston, July 24, 2003, copy in curatorial file.]; sold to Colnaghi, London, July 1, 1952 [email from Timothy Warner-Johnson, Colnaghi, to Martha Wolff, June 25, 2003, copy in curatorial file]; sold to Sir Thomas Barlow, Bart. (d. 1964), London, July 1, 1952 [email cited above]; by descent to Nicholas Barlow, London; sold to the Art Institute through Simon Dickinson Ltd., London, as agent, 2004.
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