Continental School – Jacob de Marchia [Jacobus de Marchia, Giacomo della Marca], 18th century oil on canvas laid onto a golden ground panel with incised sgraffito, wax seal and Christie’s stencils verso, 60cm x 40.5cm, within an ebonized and gilt cassetta frame. Note: the scale of this work seems to suggest that it was intended for public devotion though the original location and origin of the work remains a mystery. The inscription ‘Iacob. De. Marca.’ may suggest a Portuguese or South American origin over Italian, which traditionally favoured the ‘Giacomo della Marca’ variant of the name. This picture borrows iconographical and stylistic influence from two renaissance paintings: San Bernardino da Siena by Dario di Giovanni (c.1420-1498) in collection of the Accademia Carrara and San Bernardino da Siena by Giorgio Schiavone (c.1436-1504) in the Museo Poldi Pezzoli.