Jacopo Amigoni

Thomas Osborne (1713-1789), 4th Duke of Leeds, Hornby Castle;
By descent to D'Arcy Osborne (1884-1964), 12th Duke of Leeds;
By whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 14 June 1961, lot 6, where acquired by Agnew's on behalf of the present owner (as Venetian School, 18th century).

Historical and Descriptive Catalogue of Pictures belonging to his Grace the Duke of Leeds, London 1902, cat. no. 44;
E. Croft-Murray, Decorative painting in England, 1537-1837, Feltham 1970, vol. II, p. 163 (as Amigoni);
T. McGeary, "Farinelli and the Duke of Leeds: 'tanto mio amico e patrone particolare'", in Early Music, 30, 2, May 2002, pp. 209 and 213, note 50, reproduced p. 208, fig. 4 (as Amigoni);
J. Clark, "Farinelli as Queen of the Night", Eighteenth Century Music, vol. 2, issue 2, September 2005, pp 328-330 (as Amigoni);
B. Joncus, "One God, so many Farinellis: Mythologising the Star Castrato", in British Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 28, n. 3, 2005, p. 448 (as anonymous, datable circa 1734);
V. Lucchese Salati, "Una nobile e teatrale identità", in L. Verdi (ed.), Il Fantasma del Farinelli, Lucca 2005, p. 59 (as Amigoni).

The canvas has an old relining which is still effective and has not flattened the paint surface. To the naked eye the painting appears in good condition with the brushwork and the impasto well preserved under a slightly discoloured varnish. Some small areas of restoration can be made out above the left eye and in the forearm lower centre. Some discoloured retouching can seen centre left. It appears that under the varnish the hair under the hat is a little flattened compared to the vibrant impasto elsewhere. Inspection under UV light reveals quite extensive localised retouching in the background. Large passages remain in good original condition but some small strengthenings flouresce in the face and scattered throughout. This sympathetic restoration is not obtrusive and was carried out quite some time ago. The painting would respond well to removal of the preent varnish and application of a new one. Offered in a carved and gilt wooden frame in good condition.
"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."

This refreshingly informal portrait of the celebrated castrato Carlo Broschi, better known as Farinelli, was painted by his close friend Jacopo Amigoni in the 1730s when they were both working in England. Both the singer and the painter enjoyed the patronage of the the Duke of Leeds, in whose collection the painting remained until its sale in these Rooms in 1961 (see Provenance), and it should be assumed that the work was commisioned by the duke himself.

In her analysis of the portrait, the musical scholar Berta Joncus (see Literature) stresses the informality of the portrait and the "erotic enticement" of the iconography. The androgynous nature of the castrato was in the eighteenth century a lure for both sexes. For Joncus, the way the singer is restraining the dove in whose mouth we find a sprig whose flower is a young man's head, the wigless head and the open shirt all project a sexual reading of an Arcadian boy. Moreover, in earlier iconography songbirds had specifically related to castrati, while the effeminate young man's head in the flower was a topos for castrati.

Thomas McGreary's reading is comparatively more orthodox and tame (see Literature): he suggests that due to the closes amical relationship between the duke and the singer, the portrait was deliberately informal. The unusual iconography may not be quite as symbolic: the flower stem with a youth's face, the gesture of releasing a dove and the sheet of music may show Farinelli in one of his operatic roles as a pastorello amante. 

Jane Clark (see Literature) proposes a more political and altogether less charged sexual reading. Her analysis sees the dove holding a branch with the miniature portrait as representing the Jacobite sympathies of the Duke of Leeds and Farinelli's desire for 'imperialist' peace among nations. She feels the miniature has a strong resemblance to William Kent's painting in the Summer Parlour at Chiswick House of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie (1766-1788), grandson of King James II and pretender to the English throne. The white dove, as the symbol of a Davidic King, is representative of the Holy Spirit and was thus another reference to the Templar Masons', and by extension the Duke's, loyalty to Prince Charles and his Divine Right to the throne as opposed to the consitutional monarchy of the Hanovers.

We are hugely indebted to the Centro Studi Farinelli in Bologna for their invaluable assistance with the cataloguing of this work and for confirming the identity of the sitter as Farinelli.