Saint Luke
Giorgio Vasari·1570-1571
Historical Context
Giorgio Vasari's companion panel of Saint Luke, traditionally the patron saint of painters, held special significance for Vasari, who championed the intellectual dignity of the visual arts. Luke was believed to have painted the first portrait of the Virgin Mary, making him the patron of the Florentine Accademia del Disegno that Vasari helped found in 1563. The pairing with Saint Mark suggests these panels formed part of an Evangelist series.
Technical Analysis
Vasari's oil-on-panel technique matches the companion Saint Mark in its Mannerist academic approach, with smooth, refined surface handling and clear, bright coloring. The precise figure drawing reflects his emphasis on disegno as the intellectual foundation of painting.
Provenance
Commissioned 1569, with NGA 2012.79.1 (_Saint Mark_), by Pope Pius V for the Chapel of the Archangel Michael in the _Torre Pio_ of the Vatican Palace;[1] begun December 1570 and finished by June 1571; chapel dismantled after 1750. probably Charles Grignion II [1754-1804], Rome; his brother, Thomas Grignion [c. 1748-1821], London;[2] (sale, Christie's, London, 2 May 1807, no. 54, bought in); (sale, Christie's, London, 28-29 April 1809, no. 91); Sir Thomas Baring [1772-1848], Stratton Park, Hampshire; purchased from his estate by his son, Thomas Baring [1799-1873], London and Stratton Park; by inheritance to his nephew, Thomas George Baring, 1st earl of Northbrook [1826-1904], London and Stratton Park; by inheritance to his son, Francis George Baring, 2nd earl of Northbrook [1850-1929], London and Stratton Park; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 12 December 1919, no. 138 [with NGA 2012.79.1]); Vicars. (Galerie Charles Brunner, Paris), by 1929.[3] Don Lorenzo Pellerano, Buenos Aires; (his sale, Guerrico & Williams, Buenos Aires, October 1933, no. 971 [with NGA 2012.79.1 as no. 970]). (sale, Sotheby's, New York, 5 June 1986, no. 11 [with NGA 2012.79.1]); (Richard L. Feigen and Co., New York); sold to Damon Mezzacappa, Palm Beach, Florida; (sale, Sotheby's, New York, 11 January 1996, no. 55 [with NGA 2012.79.1], bought in); Damon Mezzacappa, Palm Beach, Florida; gift 2012 to NGA. [1] Provenance according to the 1996 sale catalogue. [2] Charles Grignion II, a British artist who lived and worked in Italy, acquired numerous paintings from prominent Italian aristocratic families in financial need. He apparently sent them to Thomas, his older brother and a watchmaker and clockmaker, for resale in England. See the description for Sale Catalog Br-487 in The Getty Provenance Index Database; copy in NGA curatorial files. [3] The paintings were numbers 2267 (_Saint Mark_) and 2268 (_Saint Luke_) in Brunner's stock; Brunner labels remain on the reverse of both panels.
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