The following condition report is provided by Sarah Walden who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: This painting has a thick poplar panel, which has been removed from its own integral frame presumably within an altarpiece. There is some old worm damage mainly behind the upper left corner. There is no sign of movement in the wood, but a fine regular craquelure. The one evident area of wear, in the gilding on the right, has scarcely affected the figures, apart from St John's halo and the far side of his cheek. The gold remains intact elsewhere, and fine, traditional, incised lines can be seen around the figures. Christ is beautifully preserved almost throughout, with just a few strengthening touches along the shadows of the arm on the left and on the darker side of the body in one or two places, with little touches at the top of the hair. The dark lines of the loin cloth have also been reinforced in a few places, but otherwise throughout the modelling of the figure and the head is finely intact. The lighter side of St John's face remains unworn but the narrow outer cheek has been retouched. There are areas of retouching in his blue drapery but the central pink drapery is intact, with retouching however coming up from the base. The central rocky base of the cross has survived completely intact. Mary's head and hands remain well preserved and intact, but her blue lapis lazuli drapery has been strengthened in places, including the covering of her head and the darker lower folds. A narrow rectangular section in the centre of her drapery appears to have been lost, perhaps from flaking, and retouched; with fine lapis visible below and around in various places. This report was not done under laboratory conditions.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Originally known as the Master of the Orcagnesque Madonna, the artist was influenced by Taddeo Gaddi and Bernardo Daddi, the two protagonists of Florentine painting in the wake of Giotto's artistic developments. The master's oeuvre was first grouped together by Richard Offner after the Madonna della Misericordia with Augustinian Nuns in the Accademia in Florence, though Offner considered the artist to be a follower of Andrea Orcagna.¹ The artist's catalogue was later expanded by Miklos Boskovits, who thought very highly of his work and stressed the Daddesque character of his work.² A tentative identification with Taddeo Gaddi's son, Giovanni (documented 1369-1385), has been proposed on the basis of the close stylistic similarities between his work and that of both Taddeo and his son Agnolo.

The attribution was first proposed by Professoressa Sonia Chiodo, who knows the painting from photographs, and considers it to have been painted in the years 1355-60.


1. See R. Offner (ed. H. Maginnis), A Critical and Historical Corpus of Florentine Painting, section III, vol. VIII, New York 1981, pp. 8-13, 'where described as the Master of the Virgin of Mercy' and M. Boskovits, Pittura fiorentina alla vigilia del Rinascimento, 1370-1400, Florence 1975, pp. 366-72.