Florence – Horne Museum (Adoration of the Child with Saint John the Baptist)

Another artwork from the Horne Museum in Florence.

The artist is thought to be Lorenzo di Credi, with this artwork dating from the early sixteenth century, probably from around 1500 to 1505. It’s tempura on a wooden panel and the colours remain vibrant. Lorenzo di Credi was an artist who was born, lived and died in Florence and there’s an artwork in the Louvre that the experts don’t know whether he or Leonardo da Vinci painted. Anyone who can confuse experts in this manner must have some considerable talent…..

A book from 1851 mentions that the eastern corridor of the public gallery in the city has two circular paintings by di Credi of the Virgin kneeling, so I’m guessing this is one of them. I’m not sure where this public gallery might have been, I’m assuming the Uffizi, but these two artworks aren’t part of their collection today.

It’s a shame that the Horne Museum has nearly no information about the provenance of its artworks, there is a catalogue from when it opened as a museum a century ago, but that’s not available on-line.