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Cesare da Sesto Sesto Calende 1477 - 1523 Milan Attributed "Madonna con bambino" Oil on wood 35 x 27 cm, with frame 60 x 54 cm High quality original frame of the 16. century Wood-carved & original gilt Inscribed on the reverse The Italian Renaissance painter Cesaro da Sesto was a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and possibly also an associate of Raphael (1483-1520). His painting style was characterised by a Lombard naturalism, imbued with a luminous colouring. He had a great exemplary effect through his important commissioned works, although the artist died early, before reaching the age of 50. Da Sesto paints the mother of God here with loving affection for the Child. Mary is depicted as a half-figure; the naked Jesus child stands in front of her on a bench or table. With his left hand he embraces the mother's neck, while Mary tenderly holds her child against her with her right hand. In her left hand she presents a book to the viewer. This is probably the Holy Scripture, the Bible, which already proclaims the Passion of Christ through its red colour Possibly for this reason her eyelids are lowered thoughtfully, her head inclined towards the child. Jesus looks past the viewer, but points to his mother with his index finger; almost as if he were communicating with her despite their lack of eye contact. The idyllic landscape with mountains and rivers in the background reveals an Italian city veduta with small staffage figures crossing a bridge on the right half of the painting. A work with similar loving gestures is in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga in Lisbon, though here Mary holds both Jesus and the baby John on her lap. The painting also shows similarities with Raphael's Madonna di Foligno of 1511/12. However, the posture of Mary's head and the book as an attribute of wisdom are particularly comparable to the "Madonna del Libro" (Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan) by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-1510) of 1480/81, although here the book is not open, but is juxtaposed with the infant Jesus in an intimate scene, emphasising the important status of the Bible. Compositionally related pictures are the so-called "Madonna with the Pomegranate" by the Florentine painter Lorenzo di Credi (c. 1457/59-1536) from 1475/80 in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (inv. no. 1952.5.65) and the Madonna by Sandro Botticelli from c. 1470 (National Gallery of Art, inv. no. 1937.1.21). However, Mary is not depicted here with the child on her lap, but in a more representative type with the addition of a table. The softly modelled, sensuous bodies in tender poses in particular reveal the parallels to his teachers. The drawing of a Madonna from da Sesto's album is particularly striking. It is a notebook with 36 drawings by da Sesto (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York). This study shows the loving embrace of the mother, who has lowered her gaze while the child looks towards the viewer.