Attributed to Carlo Maratti

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work on copper has two significant areas of instability that have been attended to – one area is around the outside of the Virgin’s halo on the left side and the other is in the darker colors of her gown. The instability is still active and there is a significant area of restoration in the dark shadowed portion of the robe to the right of the Virgin’s left arm. However, the work is not abraded or chronically affected by this instability. The painting is quite dirty and with the right attention the work will change and improve greatly.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This small work on copper, probably painted for private devotion, depicts the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, a subject Maratti painted on several occasions, most notably his altarpiece of 1663 for the Cappella De Sylva in Chiesa di Sant’Isidoro a Capo e Case, Rome.  This work incorporates several of the same background figures seen in the altarpiece (though depicted on the opposite sides of the composition), such as the two angels, one with clasped hands, and the two cherub heads, one in profile.

The present composition was engraved, in the reverse sense, by the French engraver Etienne Picart (1631-1721) in 1665. (fig. 1).  The engraving bears the inscription Carol. Maratti hancce tabulam pinx. and has a dedication to Queen Marie-Thérèse of France as founder of the order of the Immaculate Conception in France.