By John Pope-Hennessy

The 1st quantity of the great catalogue of the Robert Lehman assortment within the Metropolitan Museum of artwork is justifiably dedicated to Early Italian work, which have been relatively just about Robert Lehman's middle. In 1975, the Metropolitan Museum opened the Lehman Wing to accommodate this brilliant assortment, which were transferred to the Museum by way of the Robert Lehman Foundation.

It is mainly applicable that the celebrated artwork historian Sir John Pope-Hennessy is the writer of this quantity. knowledgeable within the box of Italian work, he discusses in nice aspect the 112 works awarded the following; they're from many towns and areas of Italy—Siena, Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice, Umbria, Lombardy, Emilia, and the Marches, between others—and span six centuries.

The earliest portray during this quantity is an Umbrian paintings, a panel that after shaped a part of a thirteenth-century altarpiece. Twenty work come from fourteenth-century Siena, between them Madonnas by way of the grasp of Monte Oliveto, Simone Martini, and Ugolino da Siena. 13 Florentine work are from an identical century. Bernardo Daddi and his workshop and fans are represented, in addition to Jacopo di Cione, Spinello Aretino, and others.

From fifteenth-century Siena comes an incomparable staff of twenty-seven work; 11 are by way of Giovanni di Paolo, together with his well-known construction of the realm and the Expulsion from Paradise, and 7 are by way of Sano di Pietro. From Florence come works through Lorenzo Monaco, Bicci di Lorenzo, Cosimo Rosselli, and different artists. The Annunciation by way of Botticelli is without doubt one of the jewels of the Lehman Collection.

The Venetian work comprise recognized graphics through Jacometto and a celebrated Madonna and baby by means of Giovanni Bellini. Forty-five works are reproduced in colour, the remainder in duotone; additionally, there are ninety-seven comparative illustrations.

Sir John Pope-Hennessy served as Consultative Chairman of the dep. of eu work on the Metropolitan Museum from 1977 to 1986. expert at Oxford, he was once for seven years director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and for 3 director of the British Museum. His books comprise Giovanni di Paolo, Sassetta, Fra Angelico, Luca della Robbia, a three-volume creation to Italian Sculpture, and Benvenuto Cellini.