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| Artist | Attributed to Puligo, Domenico (Italian painter, 1492-1527) |
| Previous attributions | Previously attributed to Parmigianino (Italian painter, 1503-1540) Previously attributed to Sarto, Andrea del (Italian painter, 1486-1530) |
| Title | The Visitation |
| Date earliest | about 1510 |
| Date latest | about 1520 |
| Material | oil on panel (hardwood {poplar}) |
| Measurements | 57.2 x 46.6 cm |
| Description | The old attribution to Parmigianino inscribed on the back of this painting has been rejected as has the traditional attribution to Andrea del Sarto. Current scholarship identifies this painting as the work of an unknown provincial artist influenced by Florentine painting of the 1510s and 1520s. The traditional attribution is not inaccurate however, the style of the painting is close to the Florentine master's work of 1510-20, but the technique is significantly less subtle. The cruder passages recall characteristics of the less careful work of del Sarto's pupil and studio assistant Domenico Puligo (1492-1527). The composition of the painting is also lacking in originality, in that the principal elements of the scene appear to have been borrowed from the works of other artists, the architectural setting may be derived from Sebastiano Serlio's design for the Tragic Stage later published in his Works on Architecture, while the onlooker with a basket on her head is copied from a figure by Filippino Lippi in his frescoes of the Life of St Stephen in Prato Cathedral. The principal figures of Mary and Elizabeth at the centre of the scene are closely related to Andrea del Sarto's treatment of the same subject in his frescoes the in the forecourt of Santa Annunziata, Florence of 1508-10. The Biblical scene depicted is described in the Gospel of St Luke (1:40) which recounts that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth when she was six months pregnant with John the Baptist, their salutation took place at the house of Elizabeth's husband, Zacharias, who is seen here in front of the open doorway on the right, the other figures are bystanders who are traditionally included as witnesses to the event in Renaissance representations of this scene. |
| Subject | religion (The Visitation, Virgin Mary, Elizabeth, Zacharias) |
| Collection | English Heritage (Kenwood House) |
| Current accession number | 88019204 |
| Previous accession number(s) | 54; 394 |
| Acquisition details | Given to the Nation by the Honourable Mrs Grenville Howard on the request of her mother-in-law Margaret Hyde, 19th Countess of Suffolk 1974. |
| Provenance | Perhaps the 'Salutation' listed the Charlton Park inventory of 1852; Suffolk collection by descent. |
| Principal publications | Richardson M. E., The Lion and The Rose (The Great Story), 1922 (as Andrea del Sarto); Jacob, J., The Suffolk Collection: Catalogue of Paintings, London, 1974, no. 54 (as Unknown Italian Artist, 16th Century). |
| Notes | On the back 'Parmigianino'. |
| Rights status | Copyright English Heritage |
| Author | Francesco Nevola |
