Master of San Jacopo a Mucciana

(Florence active circa 1390–1420)
Christ on the Cross with the Madonna and Saint John the Evangelist, a Seraph in a trefoil above,
tempera and gold on panel, 91 x 38 cm, unframed
Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland

We are grateful to Alessandro Tomei for suggesting the attribution and for his help in cataloguing this lot.

This Crucifixion reveals notable similarities to the corpus of paintings attributed to the Master of San Jacopo a Mucciana, whose artistic identity was first constructed in 1946 by Richard Offner, and whose catalogue of works was significantly enlarged by the later studies of Federico Zeri and Miklòs Boskovits.

The treatment of the draperies and the features of the figures in the present Crucifixion can be compared to the work from which this artist’s moniker derives, the triptych from the church of San Jacopo a Mucciana, now conserved in the Museo di San Casciano Val di Pesa, representing the Madonna and Child flanked by Saint Cristina, Saint Anthony Abbot, Saint Catherine and Saint James and dated 1398.

The Master of San Jacopo a Mucciana is a late Florentine interpreter of Giotto, stylistically close to the Master of the Straus Madonna. He belonged to the circle of painters which was especially receptive to the decorative aspect of Florentine painting at the end of the "Trecento" and the early "Quattrocento", which can be seen in the chromatic subtleties of the present work.