painting (oil): ["Madonna and Child with St. Mark"]

The Virgin and Child are seated in a landscape. The Virgin, wearing a pink robe, holds the swaddled Christ child up towards a dark-haired man who kneels before them, his hands pressed together in devotion. The infant reaches out towards the man with his left hand. To the left of the composition is a bearded man dressed in brown robes who can be identified as St. Luke the Evangelist. He holds a scroll, a reference to his gospel and another attribute, a white ox, can be seen to his right. Virag 20/12/2004, The subject of NCM 1910-58 has consistently been mis-identified since it entered the collection as featuring St. Mark, rather than St. Luke. The title currently ascribed to it, "The Madonna and Child with St. Mark" also overlooks the kneeling donor figure. Due to the darkened condition of NCM 1910-58 it is difficlut to make out the animal attribute on the far left. However, the attribute is most certainly an ox in a verified photograph of NCM 1910-58 in the Artist File, which is marked in pencil on the reverse, "Rack 64-10-58". Another suggestion for the title is on the accession card as "Virgin and Child with St. Bartholomew (?) and a Donor". NCM 1910-58 is a copy after the variant at Hampton Court of Titian's "Madonna and Child with SS. Catherine and Luke" in the Kreuzlingen, Heinz Kisters collection. The Hampton Court variant is titled "Madonna and Child with St. Luke and Donor" and is thought to be by a pupil of Titian. Tha author and date of NCM 1910-58 are unknown, but the copy is thought to be quite late. (Letter dated 12 January 1971 from David Phillips to Oliver Millar, Deputy Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures): "Ours seems to be much more laboriously done, and I should think it is quite a late copy". Restoration of NCM 1910-58 was postponed in 1965 because it was felt by curator, Eric Laws that the treatment required would cost more than the insurance value of the painting. (Letter dated 16 November 1965 from Laws to picture restorer) On the front: A repaired tear is visible above the virgin's head. There is evidence elsewhere of a number of tears or holes having been repaired, such as just above the extended arm of the Christ and on the right arm of the donor. There is quite severe mildew damage at the lower right edge of this painting. There are moisture channels running from left to right (or top to bottom as it hangs on the rack). The mildew is beginning to break through the paint surface on the whole of the right side of this painting. NAM 1910-58 is back to back with another large painting which is more severely affected by mildew and black mould. The mildew may be explained by the fact that NCM 1910-58 received water damage from a burst hot water pipe in 1965 and was never restored. The reverse of NCM 1910-58 could not be examined as the painting was hanging on a rack in the picture store and was back-to-back with another large painting. Virag 20/12/2004, Collection of William Graham M.P. (1817-1885); by marriage to Kenneth Augustus Muir Mackenzie from 1874: on loan to Nottingham Castle Museum (then Midland Counties Art Museum) from 1879; Given by Sir Kenneth Muir Mackenzie to Nottingham Castle Museum, 10/05/1910