This work was acquired as by Jacopo Bassano but has long been recognised as being of no more than workshop quality. The design is based on an original composition known in two versions, both signed by Jacopo Bassano in the Art Institute of Chicago and the Contini Bonacossi Collection, Florence, although the figure of the donor has been added here.
Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo dal Ponte) (Italian (Venetian), about 1510 - 1592)
Jacopo dal Ponte was named Bassano after his native town of Bassano del Grappa, near Venice. Born into a family of painters he received his initial training from his father and then studied in Venice. He became close friends with Tintoretto and Veronese. He returned to Bassano and ran the family workshop producing altarpieces, paintings of Biblical stories, some portraits and designs for a wide range of items including processional banners. He collected and made extensive use of prints as a resource for his compositions. Bassano favoured lively, crowded scenes full of naturalistic detail.
