Osservazioni

Italian painter, 13th Century/ The Last Supper/ We know of four small paintings which originally belonged to the same complex: The Nativity in the collection of Prof. Roberto Longhi, Florence; The Capture of Christ in the Garden, Kress Collection, Portland Art Museum; The Last Judgement, private collection, Milan; all of them reproduced in Proporzioni II, 1948, Pl. 24-27. Opinions vary concerning the authorship of these exquisite paintings which, though very small in size, are monumental in spirit. Longhi (and in Proporzioni II, 1948) along with A. Venturi, Fiocco, Suida, Gronau, maintains that they are the work of Cimabue. Van Marle says "as author of this magnificent little picture the name of Cimabue presents itself to our mind. It is certainly by the same hand as the 'Christ Taken Prisoner', now in the Portland Art Museum. Perkins thinks the paintings by a roman artist, contemporary with Cimabue. Offner (1947), on the other hand, attributes the whole group to the Venetian school, late 13th century. Garrison agrees to their Venetian origin, but dates them somewhat later, c. 1315-25, and calls the anonymous artist the "Speaking Christ Master". Berenson says of our painting: "More in common with Cimabue than No. 324 (The Capture of Christ) but due only to use of same Greek models-perhaps. Certainly not Cimabue nor Roman nor Tuscan". This divergence of opinion makes this little masterpiece a fascinating subject for further research. Linden wood, height 6 ¾ - width 7 1/8 Formerly the property of Amadeo, Rome. Kress Collection 1935. Exhibited with its companion piece, The Capture of Christ in the Garden, in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from 1941 until recently; listed in Preliminary Catalogue 1941, No. 311, as "Cimabue (?)"; Book of Illustrations, 1941, p. 84. (W.S.)