A Masterpiece
Attributed to Botticelli
Last night on TV
I saw a programme called
Lost Masterpieces.
In it, a painting,
of unknown provenance,
was given the third degree,
examined by experts
intent on discovering
its pedigree.
Because of his fascination,
a sleuth was said to be
a scopophiliac.
One may think it was
a blow below the belt
but he accepted the tease
with good humour.
I understood and shared
the pleasure he felt.
The beautiful image
of a Madonna and child
that was shown on the telly
was exquisitely done
and perhaps the work
of Sandro Botticelli.
There was many a clue
but we still don’t know
if that assumption is true.
© Luigi Pagano 2019
© ionicus 2023
Views: 765
I haven’t seen this program yet but I get the thrust of it from your nifty little piece. I can’t follow this one, Luigi. Can you not show the whole painting, in all its splendid colour?
Regards,
Gerald
This piece would make more sense to those who have seen the programme, Gerald.
What I am trying to convey here is the almost obsessive fascination of the art expert with the painting being investigated and the painter, supposed to have been Botticelli. It was obvious that it was a fine work of art, only the artist’s identity was in doubt. In the end a compromise was reached and it was attributed to Botticelli’s workshop.
I was unsure whether reproducing the whole painting might be a breach of copyright as it was a BBC documentary.
Regards, Luigi.
Yes, Luigi art experts do seem to be a special breed.
Regarding Botticelli, I remember my art teacher telling us the man had hands like bunches of bananas and how amazing it was that he could paint such delicate works.
Hi Guajiros, thank for your feed back.
I looked at various self-portraits of Botticelli and none show his hands and could not find any references to their size so could not comment but obviously your art teacher must have had reliable sources.
That he was an outstanding artist is beyond dispute.