TADDEO DI BARTOLO Saint Mark with the winged lion. Circa 1410.
TADDEO DI BARTOLO
(1362 Siena 1422)
Saint Mark with the winged lion. Circa 1410.
Tempera and gold ground on panel.
37.5 × 21 cm.
Provenance:
- Church of San Domenico, Gubbio (high altar, until the polyptych was dismantled circa 1765).
- Georg and Miles Reeb collection, Lahnstein, since 1975.
- Auction Engel, Koblenz, 10 February 2024, lot 715 (as Sienese Master, circa 1400).
- Private collection, Germany.
Literature:
- Gail E. Solberg: 'Taddeo di Bartolo: A Polyptych to Reconstruct', in: Exh. cat. A Renaissance Reunion: Reconstructing a Kress Italian Altarpiece, Brooks Museum Bulletin: Essays on the Collection, 1, 1994.
- Stefano G. Casu: The Pittas Collection. Early Italian Paintings (1200–1530), Florence 2018, p. 166.
- Exh. cat. Taddeo di Bartolo, ed. Gail E. Solberg, Perugia 2020, p. 260.
- Gail E. Solberg: Taddeo di Bartolo. Siena's painter in the early Quattrocento, Turnhout 2024, Vol. I, p. 591.
- Orazio Lovino: New Additions to the Reconstruction of Taddeo di Bartolo's Dominican Polyptych in Gubbio, in: The Burlington Magazine, forthcoming late 2026.
With an art historical analysis by Prof. Gaudenz Freuler, July 2026.
The previously unpublished depiction of Saint Mark was identified in early 2024 by Dr Orazio Lovino as a work by Taddeo di Bartolo; he connected this fragment with the now-dismantled polyptych that the Sienese master, together with his workshop, created in 1418 for the high altar of the Dominican church in Gubbio. In his article due to appear in late 2026, Dr Orazio Lovino demonstrates that the panel originally occupied one of the gable panels of the monumental Gubbio altarpiece.
As early as 1994, Dr Gail Solberg was able to reconstruct to a large extent the now-dispersed altarpiece, whose frame was signed and dated. The recent discovery of Saint Mark represents a welcome addition to this reconstruction; Dr Solberg has likewise confirmed the attribution, for which we thank her.
Mark's leftward-leaning posture shows that the panel formed the upper termination of a side wing. In the reconstruction it is situated between Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, above the now fragmentarily preserved figure of a holy bishop, today in the Snite Museum of Art, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.
The Gubbio polyptych was Taddeo di Bartolo's last major altarpiece commission and the culmination of his late work. Following periods of activity in Liguria, Pisa and Padua, he developed an independent pictorial language that absorbed influences from various artistic centres, particularly Barnaba da Modena. After returning to Siena in 1399, he received important public and ecclesiastical commissions while continuing to work in Umbria.
In his late work, Taddeo combines narrative liveliness with increased monumentality and sculptural force. At the same time, the central panel of the Virgin shows the influence of Gentile da Fabriano (1370/85–1427). As with his major commissions, Taddeo worked with workshop assistants, including, for example, his adopted son Gregorio di Cecco (circa 1390–1424).
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
TADDEO DI BARTOLO
(1362 Siena 1422)
Saint Mark with the winged lion. Circa 1410.
Tempera and gold ground on panel.
37.5 × 21 cm.
Provenance:
- Church of San Domenico, Gubbio (high altar, until the polyptych was dismantled circa 1765).
- Georg and Miles Reeb collection, Lahnstein, since 1975.
- Auction Engel, Koblenz, 10 February 2024, lot 715 (as Sienese Master, circa 1400).
- Private collection, Germany.
Literature:
- Gail E. Solberg: 'Taddeo di Bartolo: A Polyptych to Reconstruct', in: Exh. cat. A Renaissance Reunion: Reconstructing a Kress Italian Altarpiece, Brooks Museum Bulletin: Essays on the Collection, 1, 1994.
- Stefano G. Casu: The Pittas Collection. Early Italian Paintings (1200–1530), Florence 2018, p. 166.
- Exh. cat. Taddeo di Bartolo, ed. Gail E. Solberg, Perugia 2020, p. 260.
- Gail E. Solberg: Taddeo di Bartolo. Siena's painter in the early Quattrocento, Turnhout 2024, Vol. I, p. 591.
- Orazio Lovino: New Additions to the Reconstruction of Taddeo di Bartolo's Dominican Polyptych in Gubbio, in: The Burlington Magazine, forthcoming late 2026.
With an art historical analysis by Prof. Gaudenz Freuler, July 2026.
The previously unpublished depiction of Saint Mark was identified in early 2024 by Dr Orazio Lovino as a work by Taddeo di Bartolo; he connected this fragment with the now-dismantled polyptych that the Sienese master, together with his workshop, created in 1418 for the high altar of the Dominican church in Gubbio. In his article due to appear in late 2026, Dr Orazio Lovino demonstrates that the panel originally occupied one of the gable panels of the monumental Gubbio altarpiece.
As early as 1994, Dr Gail Solberg was able to reconstruct to a large extent the now-dispersed altarpiece, whose frame was signed and dated. The recent discovery of Saint Mark represents a welcome addition to this reconstruction; Dr Solberg has likewise confirmed the attribution, for which we thank her.
Mark's leftward-leaning posture shows that the panel formed the upper termination of a side wing. In the reconstruction it is situated between Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, above the now fragmentarily preserved figure of a holy bishop, today in the Snite Museum of Art, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.
The Gubbio polyptych was Taddeo di Bartolo's last major altarpiece commission and the culmination of his late work. Following periods of activity in Liguria, Pisa and Padua, he developed an independent pictorial language that absorbed influences from various artistic centres, particularly Barnaba da Modena. After returning to Siena in 1399, he received important public and ecclesiastical commissions while continuing to work in Umbria.
In his late work, Taddeo combines narrative liveliness with increased monumentality and sculptural force. At the same time, the central panel of the Virgin shows the influence of Gentile da Fabriano (1370/85–1427). As with his major commissions, Taddeo worked with workshop assistants, including, for example, his adopted son Gregorio di Cecco (circa 1390–1424).
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
