Henry Pelham Archibald Douglas Pelham-Clinton, 7th Duke of Newcastle–under–Lyme (1864–1928), Clumber House, Nottinghamshire, by 1879;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 23 June 1967, lot 60, to Tooth;
Hiroshi Ishizuka, Tokyo.

Nottingham Castle, Midland Counties Art Museum, on loan 1879–84.

A.M. Clark, Pompeo Batoni: A Complete Catalogue of his Works with an Introductory Text, E.P. Bowron (ed.), Oxford 1985, pp. 217–18, cat. no. 30, reproduced pl. 33;
E.P. Bowron, Pompeo Batoni, A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, Yale and London 2016, vol. I, p. 33, cat. no. 29, reproduced in colour.

The canvas has been lined, the paint surface is clean and the varnish is clear and even. The painting is in overall good condition. There is a raised vertical line in the canvas, measuring approx. 50 cm., about 10 cm. away from the right margin, extending downwards from the left of the cross held by Saint John the Baptist. There is a small loss, approx. 1 cm. high, to the left of the Madonna's right knee. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a milky, rather opaque varnish. There are scattered retouchings throughout the lower half of the painting, most notably: small areas in the lower left margin, the Madonna's right leg and sleeve, and a horizontal line, measuring 0.5 by 5 cm. in her hand; small areas in the Christ Child's robe, left leg, between his legs and in his eyebrow and left hand, the largest of which measures approx. 2 by 2 cm.; small scattered retouchings in the figure of Saint John the Baptist, and an area in his eyebrow and profile, measuring approx. 5 by 2 cm.; also some scattered retouching in the background above the Baptist, and a horizontal area, measuring 3 by 7 cm. in the upper left corner. Offered in a plain gilt wood frame with a few losses.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This painting of the Madonna and Child with the infant Saint John the Baptist is a fine example of a religious painting by the Lucchese painter Pompeo Batoni. Better known for his close study of antiquity and the portraits he produced for the Grand Tourists, Batoni also became a highly respected history painter, receiving commissions from private individuals as well as the church in Rome. This is a relatively rare example of a non–secular work by the artist and paintings of a religious subject matter consitute barely a fifth of Batoni's total output.

The figures of the Madonna and Child are inspired by the central group in one of Batoni's most important early altarpieces, The Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth, Zacharias and the Infant Baptist, painted for the church of SS Cosma e Damiano alla Scala, Milan, and moved to the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, after the church's suppression in 1796.¹ The altarpiece has been dated to circa 1738–40 on grounds of style and the existence of a sheet of preparatory drawings relating to the putti in the altarpiece seems to concur with this dating.² The sheet also includes a sketch for the Allegory of Tranquillity in the Palazzo Colo💟nna, begun before 1738 and completed by 1740, indicating that Batoni was probably working on both projects concurrently in the late 1730s.

Clark believed this canvas to be substantially a✤utograph and painted at around the same time as the larger altarpiece so a similar dating of 1738–40 should be assumed here. The Madonna and Christ Child are shown in the same pose as in the altarpiece, although she is shown here in three-quarter- rather than full-length, and the figure of the infant Saint John the Baptist is an entirely new invention. Although the same figure appears in the altarpiece, he shies away from the Madonna and Child and seeks refuge in the arms of Saint Elizabeth, whereas here th🌄e Baptist seems more confident and leans nonchalantly on the Madonna's left knee.

The painting shows the influence of Raphael and Correggio, both of whom Batoni admired enormously. Correggio's sensuality and sentimental religiosity obviously struck a chord with Batoni, and for many artists working in Rome in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Raphael embodied artistic perfection: as a young man Batoni drew almost daily at the Vatican Stanze and the Villa Farnesina.

1. See Bowron 2016, vol. I, p. 31, cat. no. 28, reproduced p. 32.
2. See K. Andrews, National Gallery of Scotland. Catalogue of Italian Drawings, Cambridge 1968, vol. I, p. ജ15, cat. no. D2148, reproduced vol. II, fig. 128.