Unique Sandro Botticelli

The Collector consigning this impressive and well-framed Early Renaissance painting did not knowingly have copies or prints in his collection. This ancient piece was an exception. It appears to be very old and may well be from the pre-canvas period. But even with its advanced age it appears to be too young and in too good a condition to have been painted by the great Botticelli in the late 1400s or early 1500s. More likely it was commissioned years later by a great prince or fabulously wealthy patron of the arts who admired the original and wanted a copy; or perhaps he owned the original and wanted a copy to display publicly without risking damage or theft. We will never know.