Rare Early Black Madonna and Child Painting Emerges for Sale After Over Two Centuries Owned by the Same Family
The Black Madonna and Child, Cusco School c.1700. Owned by the Messina/Grisewood family since the 18th century, it comes to Sloane Street Auctions for sale in London for the first time on July 15. The estimate is £20,000-£50,000.
A rare early religious painting, owned by the same family for over two centuries, comes for sale for the first time at Sloane Street Auctions of July 15.
The Black Madonna and Child, a product of the Peruvian Cusco School, has been the property of the Messina family since the 18th century. Sicilian nobles thought to have been part of the Norman conquest of the island around 1,000 years ago, they owned the Messina Palace in Palermo.
The family itself, however, were driven into exile in Malta after Count Giovanni Messina (d.1800) was executed in Catanzo during the purge of the Neapolitan nobility which followed the revolutions in Naples after the Bonaparte successes in Italy. He would have been a target because his family supported the Bourbon rule of Sicily from Naples as part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The painting passed down through the family and was owned by Count Rosario Messina (1796-1875), a wealthy merchant in Malta, and then his daughter Concetta Messina, who married Harman Grisewood (1855-1935) in 1875. Their grandson was Harman Grisewood (1906-97), a key figure in the BBC and founder of The Third Programme, who has an actor in early days performed alongside the theatrical and film greats Peggy Ashcroft, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson.
“This extraordinarily rare depiction of the black Madonna and Child from circa 1700 merges cultural iconography of the European Catholic Church and pre-Hispanic Andean culture,” said Daniel Hunt, owner of Sloane Street Auctions.
“Created in the 17th century, introducing local humanity to the formal religious representation, here we have the local artists of Peru merging European iconography with Andean aesthetic.
“Equally extraordinary is its unbroken history in the same family for around 250 years or more, meaning it has never appeared for sale before.”
The unframed 32 x 22 in oil on canvas has an estimate of £20,000-£50,000.
Live online bidding is available via Sloane Street Auctions’ website at www.sloanestreetauctions.com
For further information contact info@lucasfieldmedia.com Tel 07968 952850
Image courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions
Caption:
The Black Madonna and Child, Cusco School c.1700. Owned by the Messina/Grisewood family since the 18th century, it comes to Sloane Street Auctions for sale in London for the first time on July 15. The estimate is £20,000-£50,000.
About Sloane Street Auctions
Sloane Street Auctions was founded by Mr Daniel Hunt after spending over 30 years as a high-profile gallery owner and dealer, based at his galleries in Lower Sloane Street, London. Daniel Hunt’s intimate knowledge of the upper tiers of the art and antique sectors throughout millennia, from BC to 2022, provides Sloane Street Auctions with unprecedented access to private collections worldwide and the best of access to specific expertise.
Sloane Street Auctions’ primary objective is to work with both our buyers and sellers to provide the art market access to the rarest objects and art - from Classical Antiquities, Icons and Old Masters, right through to the YBAs and beyond.
Sloane Street Auctions takes great pleasure in dealing with people. We aim to provide a seamless and pleasant service, whether buying or selling. Our vision is to unearth the world’s greatest treasures and to match them with the world’s greatest collectors, whether an occasional buyer or a seasoned connoisseur. Sloane Street Auctions prides itself in providing the highest level of client service and discretion.
With Daniel’s contacts spanning over 40 countries worldwide, accumulated over a lifetime in the industry, Sloane Street Auctions empowers our community of connoisseurs and collectors to acquire and consign the greatest of fine art and objects at a highly competitive rate.
With Daniel Hunt’s expertise in curating some of the most renowned private collections worldwide, Sloane Street Auctions has the ability to source a wide variety of extraordinary pieces. Sloane Street Auctions’ concentrates on, but is not limited to, Old Master Drawings and Paintings, European Furniture and Works of Art, Impressionist Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Photography and Private Sales.
Julia Macquisten
Lucas Field Media
+44 7968 952850
info@lucasfieldmedia.com
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