Gaetano Gandolfi San Matteo della Decima near Bologna 1734 - 1802 Bologna

Commissioned together with the altarpiece for which this is a sketch by the bishop of Foligno, Filippo Trenta, in circa 1789, for the Clarissa nuns of the Chiesa dell' Annunziata, Foligno, by whom it was rejected for being too small;
Bishop Filippo Trenta (d.1795), Foligno, by whom bought back in 1791 together with the altarpiece, the latter recorded in his collection in 1784 and again in 1796 (see footnote above);
Sale, 5 June 1905, lot 89, where acquired by Alberto Pignatelli of Porto San Giorgio (according to P. Bagni, under Literature);
Private collection, Vienna, until recently.

P. Bagni, I Gandolfi, Padua 1992, p. 335, under cat. no. 315;
D. Biagi Maino, Gaetano Gandolfi, Turin 1995, p. 399, under cat. no. 203.

The catalogue illustration is much too red in tone. The painting has recently been cleaned, relined and restored and is overall in good condition. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals only one notable damage, a 1 sq.cm repair in the centre just below the Holy Spirit. Otherwise intervention is restricted to a few scattered local retouchings, some marginal repair, and perhaps some strengthening to the shadows in the angel's robes and in the background where the paint has been very thinly applied. The varnish is clear and even and the painting should require no further attention. This lot is offered unframed. RCJ
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The subject is taken from Luke’s Gospel and was of obvious importance to the Chiesa dell’ Annunziata in the monastery of the Clarissa nuns in Foligno, for whom the city’s bishop Filippo Trenta (d. 1795) commissioned the altarpiece for which this canvas is a preparatory sketch. It is a very fine example of Gandolfi’s mature style, displaying clearly the vitality and freshness so typical of the artist’s bozzetti. The commission dates from 1789 at a time when Gandolfi, who was fifty-five years old and at the very height of his fame, was considered the leading artist in Bologna. He had just returned from London where he had been at the invitation of Robert Dalton, the librarian of King George III, and was experiencing a wealth of commissions from the Church, including Saint Felice liberating Foligno from the plague (much destroyed but still in the Duomo, Foligno), also commissioned by Bishop Filippo Trenta in 1789, and the vast canvas illustrating The Foundation of the Foundling Hospital by the Blessed Bernagalli for the Duomo in Pisa (still in situ), commissioned in 1786 but only completed on his return from London.¹

The altarpiece for which this canvas is a bozzetto was returned to Bishop Trenta in July 1791, most probably along with the sketch, for it was of the incorrect size (191 by 129 cm.). The bishop reimbursed the monastery the painter’s fee of 150 scudi (110 scudi of which was for the painting itself and 40 scudi for the frame) and the altarpiece entered the bishop’s own collection, where it is recorded in a manuscript of 1784.²  The composition in this sketch faithfully corresponds with that in the final altarpiece, indicating that it was perhaps more likely a presentation piece or modello rather than a preparatory sketch. The final painting was probably found to be too small for its intended site, for a second altarpiece was commissioned and this, still in situ today in the church of Foligno, is of considerably larger dimensions (425 by 250 cm.).³  The second composition is quite different from the first, with the Angel Gabriel seen more frontally and the Virgin looking up instead, and Bishop Trenta considered the first version in his collection to be superior: “It is the best work to have been done by this great man, and not only does it win over the other two, but it surpasses the most beautiful things done by the great Guido Reni” (translated from the italian cited under footnote 2).  The altarpiece was still listed in the bishop’s collection in 1796, when Baldassare Orsini did a valuation of his collection for Trenta’s heirs. The altarpiece was offered for sale three times in 1904-5 and was finally acquired on 5 June 1905, together with the present bozzetto, for the total sum of 125 lire.⁴

We are grateful to Dottssa. Donatella Biagi Maino for endorsing the attribution to Gandolfi after first hand inspection.

1  See P. Bagni, under Literature, p. 327, cat. no. 308 (for the former), and pp. 368-70, cat. no. 346 (for the latter), both reproduced.
2  The 1784 manuscript is held in Foligno, Biblioteca Comunale, MS. F.6, Coresi, c. 2v, no. 47: “L’ovalone, inservibile all’Altare del Monistero, è stato da me ricomprato per prezzo in tutto con la sua cornice scudi 150. È il lavoro più corretto che sia uscito da sí gran uomo, e non solo vince gli altri due quadri ma supera le più belle cose del gran Guido Reni. In somma è un vero miracolo dell’arte pittorica”.
3  See Bagni, op. cit., pp. 332-33, cat. no. 313, reproduced (both before and after its transformation in 1928).
4  Bagni appears to confuse the provenances of this and the bozzetto for the second altarpiece (ibid., pp. 334-35, cat. no. 314, and under cat. no. 315).