Lot 1027: Giovanni di Marco (Giovanni dal Ponte) (Florentine)

Giovanni di Marco (Giovanni dal Ponte) (Florentine, 1385-1437/38) "Madonna with Child Enthroned, Crowned by Two Angels with Saints Anthony Abbot and James Major", tempera and gold leaf on panel with a gothic-arch carved top, inscribed bottom "Ave Maria Gratia Plen(a)", 33" x 22". Provenance: Private collection, Europe. Literature: Moretti Gallery Dalla Tradizione Gotica al Primo Rinascimento, Edizioni Polistampa, 2009, Moretti Galleries 2007 Exhibition Catalogue Dagli Eredi di Giotto Al Primo Cinquecento. Giovanni di Marco, or dal Ponte, acquired his name dal Ponte due to the location of his studio at Santo Stefano al Ponte. In 1410 he joined the Arte dei Medici and degli Speziali and in 1413, Compagnia di San Luca. In the 1420's, he opened a studio with a partner, Smeraldo di Giovanni, with whom he collaborated on Santa Trinita frescoes. In 1424 his outstanding debts brought him a jail sentence but he was released after accepting a plan in which he paid his debts over a period of five years. His output was prolific, producing varying work, influenced by his contemporaries, such as Masolino, Masaccio, Fra Angelico and Lorenzo Ghiberti. This particular devotional altarpiece, portraying a tender moment between an enthroned solemn Madonna and playful Child, and the elegant linear figures of the Saints below is probably one of his early works, as it is painted in a typical high Gothic style. Some of the artist's most famous works are housed in the the Musee Conde, Chantilly, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, among many others.