Attributed to Luis de Morales (c. 1509-1586) Virgin... Lot 33

Attributed to Luis de Morales (c. 1509-1586) Virgin and Child Parqueted walnut panel Old restorations Attr. to L. de Morales, cradled walnut panel, old restorations 59 x 45 cm - 231/4 x 173/4 in. PROVENANCE Anonymous sale, Madrid, Alcala Subastas, May 11-12, 2011, no. 468. The autograph character of this small panel has been confirmed by Professor Isabel Matteo Gómez. She dates it to Luis de Morales' early years in the decade of 1540, and it can be compared with other early works such as the Holy Family in the Albiz collection in Madrid and the Virgin and Child and the two St Johns in the parish of Valencia de Alcántara. The painting does not yet display the pronounced Leonardo sfumato that would characterise Morales' figures later in his career. The Virgin is dressed in a red tunic and a blue cloak that covers her head, beneath which runs a subtle veil, which Mary picks up with her right hand in an elegant gesture. Her left hand holds the child, whose arm is shortened to reveal the palm of her hand. The very special motif of the sleeping baby Jesus is borrowed from Flemish painters such as Jan Gossaert or the Master of the Parrot, who lay the baby on the Virgin's bare breast after feeding. Morales shows her fully clothed, as this detail would have shocked the modesty of his Spanish clientele, especially in a small devotional work such as this.