(Italy, active late 15th - early 16th century)
Christ carrying the Cross; and
The Madonna supported by Mary Magdalene and Saint John the Evangelist,
tempera and oil on panel, arched top, 54 x 18.6 and 54 x 18.3 cm, unframed, a pair (2)

Technical analysis:
As non-invasive analyses demonstrated, the background of the present paintings were originally blue, painted with azurite, a copper carbonate blue pigment that presumably altered during centuries, becoming darker. IR reflectography clearly shows accurate underdrawing, partially visible at naked eye, that includes both an outline linear structure, made with a thin brush and black ink, fluidly applied, presumably ‘alla prima’, and a short dense hatched drawing for some of the shadows of the clothes. A linear drawing with characteristics that are close to Botticelli and to his workshop.

Among pigments, investigated by reflectance spectroscopy (vis-RS), a carmine type red lake was detected in the red of the Madonna’s and Christ’s clothes. The same lake was mixed with the deep blue of indigo, and perhaps with some madder lake, to obtain the purple hue of the Madonna’s cloak. Lead white, parts of vermillion and a larger quantity of ochre make up the flesh tones.

We are grateful to Gianluca Poldi for the technical examination of the present paintings.