(National Art Museum, Bucharest)

There is only one painting in Romania, which is considered that was painted by Zoppo. This can bee seen in the National Art Museum in Bucharest. The painting's size is 26,4 x 22,1 cm and it was painted on wood with tempera. The picture, which is cut both left and right side, also on the top, originally could be part of a small home altar. The origin of the painting can be investigated beginning from it’s appearance in the Venezian Weber's collection. After that the picture become part of Otto Mundler's collection - in Paris. In 1872 the picture was sold in London to Dr. Felix Bamberg, who was the German Consul in Genova, later in Paris. In 1876 the picture was exhibited in Napoli. In 1879 the picture become part of the Romanian Royal collection, as many other Bamberg collection paintings. First was part of the Royal collection from the Pelisor Castle in Sinaia. After 1941 the painting was transferred in the Peles Castle, where was preserved, then transferred to Bucharest in 1948. The painting was in the Bamberg's 1879 and Léo Bachelin's 1898 catalogue. Léo Bachelin was librarian of the Romanian I. Karl King. In 1914 Adolfo Venturi considered the painting as Zoppo's young period painting, made in Padova. This was confirmed by G. Goulinat and L. Hautecoeur in 1934; and later by Bernard Berenson and Roberto Longhi. V. Moschini in 1959 and Stefano Bottari in 1964 had the same opinion. Instead, Ph. Hendy in 1967 considered as a picture of the School from Padova.

On the central axis of the symmetric composition, what is projected on a cloudy blue-sky background, is sitting Madonna in a throne with high ends with the nude Jesus in her hands. Madonna's toes can be seen under her long brocate dress, with pomegranate decoration. She wears a flame-like crown, her shoulders and arms are covered by a brown mantle, decorated like her dress.

In her lap, on a beige pillow is sitting the nude, blonde Jesus who lifts his right hand to blessing.

Madonna's protecting opened arms are above the heads of the kneeing donators. The back of the throne ends high over the head of Madonna in aedicula, that is decorated with fruit garlands, which hang on gold plated hooks. On

the back of the throne can be read a writing, which is important from the point of view of dating too: "MADONA DEL ZOPO DI SQVARCIONE". This is painted on the last lacquer stratum. The top corners also are decorated by fruit garlands, whose arc is broken due to the cutting of the picture. On the two garlands there are two climbing chubby angels, who are hanging incense smokers.

There are 3 persons with glory on both side of Madonna. Three of them are wearing monk's cowl. The other two are painted by the artist with bishop badges: infula and crosier. The sixth, with a church with turret in his hands, is a cardinal - based on his dress. On the left side standing bishop hasn't got a special attribute. Only the handle of the crosier can be seen, but based on his lily decorated and purple lined mantle, he can be identified with St. Louis from Toulouse. The Franciscan monk who is staying next to him, due to his unconfoundable face characteristics and the red cross and book from his hands, we can identify him as Assisi St. Francis. The third one, an old cardinal with long beard, in spite of the unusual attribute from his hand, can be St. Jerome.

On the left side of Madonna, the bishop with a book may be St. Augustine. Next to him, the Franciscan monk with hood, who hold in his left hand a book, in the right a plate with a lily in a jug, probably is St. Anthony from Padua. The person from the right edge of the painting is certainly St. Bernadine from Siena, with a radial-wreath designed IHS monogram and a book in his hand.

In the front of the Sacra Conversazione scene, there is a kneeing, praying individualized donator pair, painted hierarchically in a smaller scale. They face symmetrically to Madonna. They wear heavy woolen wearing.

Lilian Armstrong, who wrote Zoppo's monograph, didn't make definite conclusions from the painting. Due to the ruinous condition of the panel and the fact, that she couldn't see it, she told: "at best it is a late provincial interpretation of a Paduan themes, if not an out and out forgery".

Finally it is questionable the attribution of this painting, made by MARCO DI ANTONIO DI RUGGIERO, alias Zoppo, who was born in 1433 in Cento, who was one of the "adopted" son of the Paduan painter, Squarcione. The other "adopted" son of Squarcione was Mantegna, who left Padua in 1448.

After all is debatable any finally conclusion, because the composition is not complete, and contains stylistic elements, which couldn't be imagine and done by Zoppo, until he knew directly or indirectly Mantegna's works, including the altar from Verona. I think that it is impossible that this picture could be painted in that early period, moor likely it was painted when Zoppo arrived in Venice in 1453, and it is moor possible after that, in the end of 1460.