Papers by Robert B . Simon
Leonardo's Salvator Mundi and the Collecting of Leonardo in the Stuart Courts, 2019
Chapter 5 reviews the visual evidence on the basis of the stripped picture before the infilling o... more Chapter 5 reviews the visual evidence on the basis of the stripped picture before the infilling of lost areas of paint. Pentimenti are apparent, most conspicuously in the repositioning of the thumb of the blessing hand. Infrared reflectography reveals detailed changes in the drapery and a few spolveri which indicate the use of a cartoon and shows the use of Leonardo’s hand-print method to soften the modelling of flesh. The vortex curls and the understated anatomy of the hands are typical of Leonardo’s post-1500 style, as is the insistent blurring of the contours of the face. The interlace pattern of the textile bands is founded on an angular geometry of the Islamic kind and reflects Leonardo’s visit to Venice in 1500. The transparent orb is of rock crystal and is marked by gaps or ‘inclusions’, exhibiting optical effects of the kinds that fascinated him, not least the translucency of semi-precious minerals. The crystal orb refers in an innovative way to the crystalline sphere of the...
Leonardo's Salvator Mundi and the Collecting of Leonardo in the Stuart Courts
Chapter 1 presents a first-person account of the discovery of the Salvator Mundi, from its appear... more Chapter 1 presents a first-person account of the discovery of the Salvator Mundi, from its appearance as a copy at an American auction to its establishment as the lost original painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Robert Simon presents a chronological account of his involvement with the acquisition, research, conservation, and scholarly verification of the work over the period from 2005 to 2011, when the painting was included in the landmark exhibition at the National Gallery, Leonardo da Vinci Painter at the Court of Milan. The modern provenance of the painting is reviewed, focusing on its tenure in the Cook Collection of Richmond, its sale in 1958, and its reappearance in New Orleans. The conservation of the painting by Dianne Dwyer Modestini is discussed, as well as the research process, and the introduction of the painting to art historians, Leonardo specialists, the press, and, eventually, the public.
Choice Reviews Online, 2014
Book review of “Bernard Berenson; A Life in the Picture Trade," By Rachel Cohen, New Hav... more Book review of “Bernard Berenson; A Life in the Picture Trade," By Rachel Cohen, New Haven-London, Yale University Press, 2013.
Philadelphia Museum of Art Bulletin, 1985
Renaissance Quarterly, 1989
In Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi and the Collecting of Leonardo in the Stuart Courts the ‘Three Salva... more In Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi and the Collecting of Leonardo in the Stuart Courts the ‘Three Salvateers’—Robert Simon, Martin Kemp and Margaret Dalivalle—give a first-hand account of the discovery of the lost Renaissance masterpiece; from its purchase for $1,175 in a New Orleans auction house in 2005, to the worldwide media spectacle of its sale to a Saudi prince for $450 million in 2017. A behind-the-scenes view of the painstaking processes of identification, consultation, scientific analysis, conservation, and archival research that underpinned the attribution of the painting to Leonardo, the book presents a consideration of the place of the painting in Leonardo’s body of work. Exploring the meaning of the painting in terms of Renaissance theology, it considers the identity of its original patron or intended recipient. Unravelling networks of early modern art dealers and collectors in Europe, it traces the emerging reception of Leonardo during the sixteenth and seventeenth centurie...
The Art Bulletin, 1978
... 205). Also, in a letter of 1620, Marino mentions a painting of Susanna (also lost), &... more ... 205). Also, in a letter of 1620, Marino mentions a painting of Susanna (also lost), "che ho di mano del Caravaggio" (Marino, Lettere, Venice, 1673, 282, No. CLXIII; reprinted in Marino, Opere, ed. AA Rosa, Milan, 1967, 210-11). ...
The Burlington Magazine, 2021
Review of the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 16 June-11 October 2021
The Journal of Art, 1989
An appreciation of Pontormo's Portrait of a Halberdier following its sale at Christie's to the Ge... more An appreciation of Pontormo's Portrait of a Halberdier following its sale at Christie's to the Getty Museum.
The Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, 1989
Discusses Gustave Doré's paintings in the Scottish Highlands, his visits to Scotland, and publish... more Discusses Gustave Doré's paintings in the Scottish Highlands, his visits to Scotland, and publishes Landscape in Scotland, acquired by the Walters Art Gallery.
The Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, 1986
Establishes the identity of the subject portrayed in Sofonisba Anguissola's portrait of a young m... more Establishes the identity of the subject portrayed in Sofonisba Anguissola's portrait of a young man as Massimiliano II Stampa.
Agnolo Bronzino; Medici Court Artist in Context, ed. by Andrea M. Gáldy, 2013
Discusses the authorship and identity of a portrait in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco con... more Discusses the authorship and identity of a portrait in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco considered to be a portrait of Maria Salviati by Bronzino; considers the painting to be by an as yet unidentified artist here given the "notname" of the Master of the Sedia Dantesca, " further suggesting this painter as author of several other portraits; compares portraits of Maria Salviati, the mother of Duke Cosimo I de'Medici by Pontormo and Vasari; proposes that the Portrait of a Lady in Red in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt may be identified as the Bronzino portrait of Maria Salviati mentioned by Vasari
The Burlington Magazine, 2014
Exhibition review of “Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino: Diverging Paths of Mannerism,” held at the P... more Exhibition review of “Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino: Diverging Paths of Mannerism,” held at the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
The Burlington Magazine, 2012
Exhibition review of “Perino del Vaga in New York Collections,” held at the Metropolitan Museum o... more Exhibition review of “Perino del Vaga in New York Collections,” held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Burlington Magazine, 2014
Book review of “Bernard Berenson; A Life in the Picture Trade," By Rachel Cohen, New Haven-London... more Book review of “Bernard Berenson; A Life in the Picture Trade," By Rachel Cohen, New Haven-London, Yale University Press, 2013.
The Burlington Magazine, 2017
Book review of "My Dear BB . . . : The Letters of Bernard Berenson and Kenneth Clark, 1925–1959. ... more Book review of "My Dear BB . . . : The Letters of Bernard Berenson and Kenneth Clark, 1925–1959. Edited and annotated by Robert Cumming. 538 pp. incl. 50 b. & w. ills.
(Yale University Press, London and New York, 2015), £25. ISBN 978–0–300–20737–8.
Florence).
The Burlington Magazine, 2013
Exhibition review of “Francesco Vanni: Art in Late Renaissance Siena,” Yale University Art Galler... more Exhibition review of “Francesco Vanni: Art in Late Renaissance Siena,” Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven
The Burlington Magazine, 2018
Exhibition review of “The Cinquecento in Florence,” held at the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
The Burlington Magazine, 2011
Exhibition review of “Bronzino, Artist and Poet at the Court of the Medici,” held at the Palazzo... more Exhibition review of “Bronzino, Artist and Poet at the Court of the Medici,” held at the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence.
The Burlington Magazine, 2017
Book review of Bernard Berenson: Formation and Heritage, Edited by Joseph Connors and Louis A. Wa... more Book review of Bernard Berenson: Formation and Heritage, Edited by Joseph Connors and Louis A. Waldman, the 2014 publication of 16 papers presented at I Tatti on the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Bernard Berenson
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Papers by Robert B . Simon
(Yale University Press, London and New York, 2015), £25. ISBN 978–0–300–20737–8.
Florence).
(Yale University Press, London and New York, 2015), £25. ISBN 978–0–300–20737–8.
Florence).