That Lorenzetti Panel.

I’m currently teaching a course on early renaissance art, so the story about this rare Sienese panel grabbed my attention.

Is a museum in this country going to acquire this panel by Pietro Lorenzetti, painted 700 years ago?

Ideally it should be acquired by the National Gallery where they could display it in the Sainsbury wing next to their Duccio panels. A perfect fit as the figure of Christ in this panel owes much to the leading Sienese master, especially in the treatment of the drapery. See the Duccio here.

5 million is the asking price according to the government’s website where I got the photo….

“This is an exceptionally rare and interesting early work by Pietro Lorenzetti, redolent of his celebrated frescoes at Assisi. It has only recently come to light and offers many
avenues for further study and research.”

Hear Hear, but nobody's going to study it , or just enjoy it, if the worst happens and it is snapped up by, say, the Getty who must be in the running if the picture isn’t saved before the ban expires.

Of course I don’t know what the focus of the NG’s acquisition strategy is, but surely it’s better to spend money on this than some novelty buy?

 

Comments

[Michael Savage]

I don't trust the NG conservators with it! It's in untouched condition ... for now ...
What about Manchester or Liverpool? Neither seem to have made a major acquisition for a while, and their early Sienese paintings are a bit lonely (the Duccio school Crucifixion/Simone Martini's Christ Discovered in the Temple). Although the way things are going it'll soon be cheaper to fly to LA than get a train to Liverpool.

[David Packwood]

Liverpool would be good, especially as they were one of the first, if not the first, to take an interest in the so-called renaissance "primitives". William Roscoe was an ardent champion of early ren art. So, that would be fitting- but I would guess that, in the current financial climate, its not going to happen.