Two Botticelli Madonnas Face Off at Château de Chambord
A painting previously believed to be a 19th-century reproduction has been verified as an original from the 16th century, created in Sandro Botticelli's workshop. It features the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and the young John the Baptist. Curator Matteo Gianeselli discovered the artwork at the church of Saint Félix in Champigny-en-Beauce, France. The attribution was confirmed through restoration efforts by DRAC Centre-Val de Loire and C2RMF. This piece was produced around fifteen years after Botticelli's original housed in the Galleria Palatina. Both artworks are currently exhibited at the Château de Chambord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, until January 19, 2025, which spans 5,440 hectares and welcomes over one million visitors each year.
Key facts
- Painting in Champigny-en-Beauce church authenticated as 16th-century original from Botticelli's workshop
- Curator Matteo Gianeselli identified the work during research on Italian paintings in French public collections
- Restoration by C2RMF under Dominique Martos-Levif confirmed attribution
- Both Botticelli paintings displayed at Château de Chambord chapel until January 19, 2025
- Champigny painting on loan for two years; Uffizi painting on loan for a few months
- Paintings are compositionally reversed with different backgrounds
- Third version at Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham
- Château de Chambord is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981
Entities
Artists
- Sandro Botticelli
- Matteo Gianeselli
- Pierre Dubreuil
- Dominique Martos-Levif
- Leonardo da Vinci
Institutions
- Galleria degli Uffizi
- Galleria Palatina
- Palazzo Pitti
- Musée de la Renaissance
- Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF)
- DRAC Centre-Val de Loire
- Barber Institute of Fine Arts
- Château de Chambord
- UNESCO
Locations
- Champigny-en-Beauce
- France
- Firenze
- Florence
- Italy
- Valle della Loira
- Loire Valley
- Écouen
- Birmingham
- United Kingdom
- Chambord