Madonna and Child (Duccio) - History of Ownership

History of Ownership

The Madonna and Child carries somewhat of a mysterious history in terms of its location for five centuries. Many questions about this timeless image remain unanswered in terms of where or whom it came from before the mid 19th Century, which is not actually unusual for dugento and trecento paintings. In 1904 the painting was displayed at the Mostra d’art antica senese, an exhibition at the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena. The first known owner of the painting brought it to the exhibition organizers whom enabled it to be shown. This person is known to be Count Gregori Stroganoff (1829-1910) who held the Duccio as part of his vast collection of art pieces of all disciplines. There are no known records of who owned or where Duccio’s Madonna and Child was held up to the possession of Stroganoff.

Stated in her review of the 1904 Mostra d’art senese exhibition, art historian, Mary Logan Berenson believes this work to be among Duccio’s “most perfect” pieces, therefore it is no surprise the painting caused an awe-inspiring reaction from exhibition viewers and especially from those in the art and art history arena. Following the death of Stroganoff in 1910, the Duccio joined the assembly of works collected by Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949), hence the painting’s namesake, the Stoclet Madonna. Stoclet was understood to treat his fruitful collection of art with the most careful attention and held them in the most ideal environments to preserve their unique, and many times fragile, qualities. The Duccio was shown at few exhibitions in 1930 and 1935 and to chosen, limited guests of Stoclet at his home.

Proceeding the death of Stoclet and his wife in 1949, their children inherited Duccio’s Madonna and Child along with the rest of the collector’s assemblage. Although the coveted work of art was of interest to scholars, they were unable to access it except through photographs that fortunately document the ages of the painting and its process of restoration. Photographs of before it was restored, and later minor retouching, to what we see now all of which reveal the time past and the true impression of the original painting of 1300. The painting was excitingly acquired in the autumn of 2004 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an estimated amount of 45 million USD. This is a highly valuable acquisition not only for the aesthetic significance in terms of the history of art, but also because there are only 13 known paintings by Duccio in the world.