"Madonna with child enthroned and a donor", tempera on gold ground panel by Cristoforo di Benedetto (documented in Bologna between 1456 and 1497). This panel best illustrates the moment of transition experienced by Bolognese artistic culture after the mid-fifteenth century, between late-Gothic reminiscences and incipient openings in a Renaissance key. The work can undoubtedly be assigned to Cristoforo di Benedetto, as extensively argued in the exhaustive record drawn up by Prof. Mauro Minardi. Intended for private devotion, the panel can be dated to around 1460, as it does not yet reflect the pictorial influence of Marco Zoppo and Giovan Francesco da Rimini, which can be found in the triptych of the National Art Gallery of Bologna (signed and dated "Xpoforus pinxit 1467) and in the polyptych of Budrio.
The painting is intact in size, with the paint film in very good condition. It is set in a gold leaf frame, of recent manufacture.
Panel dimensions cm 44.5x31.2 with frame 49.5x35.5
