painting (oil): ["The Christ Child Learning To Walk"] aka ["Presentation in the Temple"]

The Virgin Mary sits on a raised central dais flanked by columns. Behind is a niche. She wears a pink tunic and a blue cloak around her knees and stretches both arms out towards the Christ Child on the left. He is being helped to mount the steps of the dais by a woman in red. A white-bearded Joseph leaning on a staff watches from the right. To Mary's right, a haloed female figure points towards a flight of stairs and an open door at the far right of the composition. Virag 14/12/2004, Between 1984 and 1985, a research assistant, Dr. Brendan Cassidy, was employed by Nottingham Castle Museum to research and write a catalogue of the foreign oil paintings in their collection. The catalogue never materialised, but drafts and notes relating to Cassidy's research can be found in the Artist Files and in the Archive at the museum. All references to Cassidy relate to these documents. The theme of the Christ Child learning to walk is very rare in art. However, when it does appear the subject is normally made more explicit by the presence of a walking frame. Also unusual is the Nottingham representation in the Temple setting. A series of paintings by the 17th century artist Francisco Providone purport to illustrate the life of the Holy Family when they were guests of Prince Alsamander Porlac of Egypt, as told in the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy. They include one canvas of the Family in a luxurious architectural setting encouraging the child to walk. The same location may be impllied in the Nottingham picture. The dating of NCM 1910-65 is based on several approximations given by scholars which include; "c.1517" (Ballarin, as Battista); "soon after 1510" (Garnett, as Dosso); "c.1509 to c.1525" (Cassidy, as Dosso) It has been suggested by Elizabeth H. Beatson, Princeton University (Letter dated 8 November 1984 to Cassidy) that the female figure with the halo to the right of the Virgin Mary could be her mother, Anna, and that the gesture towards the steps and open doorway off to the right could prophesy the trials that Christ must face in the future ("…might she be suggesting that though the Child can mount a single step now, much greater difficulties await him in the future?") On the reverse: Worm holes and tunnels have been exposed, suggesting that the panel may have been filed down. There is a groove approx. 3.5cms wide in the centre across its width. 1. Aodern yellow printed label: "This painting is on loan from Nottingham Castle Museum" (presumably refers to the exhibition at the Matthiesen Gallery, London in 1984) 2. Label (upper right) with blue border: "328" 3. Label: 10-65/Room D.47 (Probably relates to a previous location of NCM 1910-65 at Nottingham Castle museum, where the galleries are labelled A-F) 4. Label in groove in centre (handwritten): W. Graham Esq -31- 5. Label (lower centre) with red border and docked corners: "34850" 6. In black paint: "1 or 1: 883M" (NB. Cassidy has transcribed this mark as: "1 383M") 8. In very faint white chalk (upper left): "102" (?) The painting was restored in 1983 under the supervision of Herbert Lank. The removal of the overpaint revealed extensive losses in the curtains and scattered small losses in most areas. It was discovered that a previous restoration had covered the bare arm of the woman to the right of the Virgin with a green sleeve and painted in a left hand which had previously been rejected and overpainted by the original artist. This previous restorer had also painted a loin-cloth onto the Christ child. During the 1983 restoration, the panel was discovered to be made up of two pieces of wood, with the grain and the join in the vertical direction. Virag 14/12/2004, 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 Augustus Mackenzie to Nottingham Castle Museum, 10/05/1910.