Henry Alford, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral (1857–1871), 1863;
Thence by descent to F.J.A. Cruso;
From whom inherited by the present owner in 1983.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. Despite the glaring and heavy handed re-gilding of the background, the figures and the landscape are in very good condition. It is curious that a picture in such a beautiful state would find itself so poorly gilded in the background. The panel is unreinforced on the reverse. The paint layer is dirty and seems to be unrestored and undamaged in the figures and landscape. There is one unrestored loss in the hills immediately to the left of Christ's head. The recent gilding should be removed, which would hopefully reveal the original gilding. Even though the original gilding is presumably quite worn, the work can thus be returned to its very good original condition.
"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."

Bartolomeo Vivarini is first recorded in 1450 when he signed jointly with his older brother Antonio a polyptych for the Certosa in Bologna commissioned by Pope Nicholas V and now in the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna. Vivarini worked throughout the east coast of Italy, including in Apulia and in the Marches, but it was in the Veneto where he enjoyed the most success, particularly in the 1460s and 1470s.

The composition of present picture follows closely Vivarini's Madonna and Child from circa 1475 (Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu). The pose of the sleeping Child also recurs in his altarpiece from 1465 depicting Madonna with Augustine, Roch, Louis of Toulouse, Nicholas of Bari and half-lengths of Catherine, Dominic, Peter Martyr and Magdalene (Museo Nazionale, Naples).