(Costa al Pino, Siena 1525 – circa 1587 Naples)
Madonna and Child,
oil on canvas, 64 x 50.3 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection;
where acquired by the present owner, circa 1990

We are grateful to Herwarth Röttgen for suggesting the attribution and for his help in cataloguing. He dates the present painting to circa 1560.

The present work is representative of Marco dal Pino’s œuvre for the quality of its pictorial technique. The Madonna’s oval head which narrows at the chin and is broader at the height of the eyes, belongs to a type frequently used by Marco dal Pino, that took inspiration from the Parmigianino’s facial-types. The present painting can be compared with other paintings by Marco dal Pino, such as The Assumption of the Virgin in the Church of Santi Severino e Sossio, Naples and The Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Andrew in the Church of San Bartolomeo, Nocera Inferiore, dated 1557, that can be compared especially for the execution of the putti with twists of curly hair. (see A. Zezza, Marco Pino: l’opera completa, Naples 2003, p. 272 cat. no. A.52, p. 276, cat. no. A.62)

Marco dal Pino first trained with Domenico Beccafumi (1486–1551) in Siena, where he worked on major projects such as the frescoes for the Duomo of Siena. In his early twenties, he moved to Rome, where he was strongly influenced by Francesco Salviati (1510–1563) and Perino del Vaga (1501–1547), with whom he trained in the Sala Paolina in Castel Sant’Angelo. These experiences allowed dal Pino to study the works of Raphael and Michelangelo and he subsequently collaborated with Michelangelo’s pupil, Daniele da Volterra (1509–1566). In 1552 he moved to Naples, where he died in 1587; here he dominated art production which was under Spanish and Northern European influence.