Une exceptionnelle enluminure en vente à Annecy
An exceptional illuminated manuscript leaf, attributed to Giovanni Antonio da Brescia (active between 1475 and 1525), will be sold at auction by Bennour in Annecy on June 27, 2026. The work, depicting the Virgin and Child with a kneeling donor, Saint Anthony Abbot, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, is executed in tempera, watercolor, ink, and gold on parchment mounted on copper, dating to around 1500-1510. Its status as either a cut-out from a book or an independent devotional painting remains uncertain, but its quality is undisputed.
The sale matters because the artwork is considered a masterpiece worthy of a major public collection, specifically the Louvre Museum in Paris. The article highlights the ongoing challenge of keeping such high-quality heritage pieces within French public institutions, especially when they appear on the open market. The outcome of this auction could either enrich a national collection or see the work leave the country, reflecting broader issues in art market dynamics and cultural patrimony.