Gherardo di Jacopo Starnina (Master of the Bambino Vispo), 'The Beheading of Saint Margaret (?)', probably about 1409
About the work
Overview
The small size and rectangular shape of this panel indicate that it once formed part of a predella – that is the lowest section of an altarpiece. Predellas usually illustrated events from the lives of the saints depicted in the main section of the altarpiece. The saint who is about to be beheaded here, for her Christian faith, has been identified as Saint Margaret of Antioch. This is on account of the cross-shape she has formed with her thumbs as she prays, which may refer to the legend that Saint Margaret fought off the devil – in the form of a dragon – by making the sign of the cross with her hands. Her legend also recounts that she asked to pray before her execution. Starnina, a Florentine painter, has chosen to show the moment at which the executioner is just about to strike. This panel has been connected to an altarpiece in the Martin von Wagner Museum in Würzburg which includes a panel showing Saint Margaret of Antioch, who is shown with a slain dragon at her feet, with Saint Philip.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Beheading of Saint Margaret (?)
- Artist dates
- about 1364 - 1413
- Date made
- probably about 1409
- Medium and support
- egg tempera on wood
- Dimensions
- 42.3 × 65.2 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Mond Bequest, 1924
- Inventory number
- NG3926
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Dillian Gordon, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Fifteenth Century Italian Paintings’, vol. 1, London 2003; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2014Making ColourThe National Gallery (London)18 June 2014 - 7 September 2014
Bibliography
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1854G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being and Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss. […], vol. 2, trans. E. Eastlake, London 1854
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1864J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A New History of Painting in Italy: From the Second to the Sixteenth Century, 3 vols, London 1864
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1910J.P. Richter, The Mond Collection: An Appreciation, London 1910
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1913B. Berenson, Catalogue of a Collection of Paintings and Some Art Objects, 3 vols, Philadelphia 1913
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1923R. van Marle, The Development of the Italian Schools of Painting, 19 vols, The Hague 1923
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1924C. Holmes, 'The Mond Pictures in the National Gallery II', The Burlington Magazine, XLV/259, 1924, pp. 216-25
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1938G. Melchiorri, L'ape italiana delle belle arti, Rome 1938
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1938G. Pudelko, 'The Maestro del Bambino Vispo', Art in America, XXVI, 1938, pp. 47-63
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1951Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, London 1951
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1963B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Work, with an Index of Places: Florentine School, 2 vols, New York 1963
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1973C. Volpe, 'Per il completamento dell'altare di San Lorenzo del Maestro del Bambino Vispo', Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz, XVII, 1973, pp. 175-88
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1974J. Waadenoijen, 'A Proposal for Starnina: Exit the Maestro del Bambino Vispo?', The Burlington Magazine, CXVI, 1974, pp. 82-91
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1979C. Syre, Studien zum 'Maestro del Bambino Vispo' und Starnina, Bonn 1979
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1986Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, revised edn, London 1986
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1993C. Lloyd, Italian Painting Before 1600 in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Collection, Chicago 1993
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2003Gordon, Dillian, National Gallery Catalogues: The Fifteenth Century Italian Paintings, 1, London 2003
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.