(Florence 1441/42–1493)
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John in a landscape,
tempera on panel, tondo, diam. 68 cm, framed

Provenance:
probably Pierre Gaspard Marie Grimaud, Count of Orsay, France and Germany;
his son Maximilan Joseph Grimaud, Count of Orsay (according to a seal on the reverse);
Private collection, Schweinfurt, Germany;
sale, Christie’s, London, 7 July 1978, lot 167;
Private collection, Los Angeles;
sale, Sotheby’s, New York, 21. May 1992, lot 48;
with Altomani, Pesaro;
Private European collection

According to Giorgio Vasari’s Vite Jacopo del Sellaio was trained in the workshop of Filippo Lippi, where he met Sandro Botticelli, whose work became an important orientation for Sellaio in terms of both style and motif (G. Vasari, Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori, 1550, G. Milanesi ed., Florence 1878-1885, vol. II, pp. 627, 642–3). While working in Prato from 1452-1469 Lippi listed among his assistants two garzoni, Domenico and Jacopo (E.W. Rowlands, Filippo Lippi, in: J. Turner (ed.), The Grove Dictionary of Art, vol. 19, p. 445). It is possible that the former was Domenico Ghirlandaio while the latter is likely identifiable as Sellaio.

The impact of Filippo Lippi on his style is difficult to assess, but Botticelli’s influence is particularly apparent in his early works. However the dating of Sellaio’s works presents various problems, but throughout the 1470s and 1480s his works have often been confused with those of Botticelli. The style of the two masters came so close at this time that one work, the Madonna of the Sea in the Accademia, Florence continues to be attributed to Botticelli, or even Filippino Lippi, as well as Jacopo del Sellaio.

The theme of the Mother of God and the Christ Child enjoyed great popularity in contemporary Florentine painting in general. Jacopo del Sellaio treated the subject several times, as is attested by panels now conserved in New York (Metropolitan Museum), San Francisco (Fine Arts Museum), and Venice (Galleria G. Franchetti, Ca' d'Oro). The figure of the Madonna in the present painting corresponds to that in the Annunciation in Santa Lucia dei Magnoli in Florence, which is dated 1473 and can securely be attributed to del Sellaio thanks to documentary evidence. Even if minor differences can be observed, such as in the position of the Madonna’s hands, her garment, and the halo, her head is bent forwards in the same manner, and also the small golden star appears on her left shoulder.

Jacopo del Sellaio set up his own workshop with Filippo di Giuliano which would later pass to his son, Archangelo di Jacopo del Sellaio.

The painting is registered as an autograph work by Jacopo del Sellaio in the Fototeca Fondazione Zeri under no. 17114.

Technical analysis

The present painting constitutes a good example of the refined technique of painting developed in Florence in the second half of the 15th century. IR reflectography carried out in two IR bands permits the appreciation of the accurate outline underdrawing, made with a thin brush and black ink, that is carefully followed by painting without substantial changes. No hatching can be seen to develop the shadows and the volumes, presumably studied on paper in the preparatory drawings as was  the working practice of other Florentine artists of the period. The more structured volume of the green inside of the Virgin's cloak, now less evident because of darkening of the copper-based green pigment, can be recovered by IR images.

The medium, according to the characteristics of the brushstrokes, is very probably egg tempera, with perhaps small additions of siccative oil. Details are realised with extreme skill, as is apparent in the light touches on the fingers of the Madonna and on the faces, in the elements of the landscape, in the shell gold decorations of the clothes.

Reflectance spectroscopy performed on many areas determines the majority of pigments used. The mineral blue azurite, coarsely or finely grinded, is used in the sky, mountains, water and blue clothes, including the Madonna's cloak and Saint Joseph's robe, where a red lake is added to obtain a violet hue. The greens of the trees are made mixing azurite with a lead-based yellow, while the grass and other green areas are mainly based on copper-green pigments like verdigris and perhaps malachite. The same yellow constitutes the lights of the cloak of Santi Joseph, where yellow ochre is used in the shadows.A coccid-based red lake is found in the shadows of the Madonna's red robe, over a vermillion layer, and in Saint John's cloak. Vermillion and ochres are added to lead white, as usual, for the skin tones, with some black particles.

Among the most interesting results obtained through scientific investigation is the great ability of the painter in mixing pigments to obtain the desired tones, which can be appreciate under microscopy (200x). For example, in Joseph's blue robe particles of yellow and green are mixed to azurite and small quantities of red, while in the brown rocks behind him a complex mixture of yellow-brown ochres, pale green and deep blue copper-containing pigments are present, together with some black and red particle depending on the area. 

Additional images:
The coat-of-arms of Maximilan Joseph Grimaud (see provenance)
Infrared reflectograph