Cristofano Allori

Nancy Polan, West Virginia;
By whose estate sold, New York, Sotheby's, 23 January 2003, lot 225;
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.

F. Baldassari, La pittura del Seicento a Firenze, Turin 2009, p. 113.

The canvas has been relined, the paint surface is stable, and the varnish clear and even. In very good overall condition. Perhaps recently cleaned and restored. There are no major damages visible to the naked eye. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals some spot retouchings in the hand and face of Judith, most notably under her right eye, and scattered spot retouchings throughout the white of her sleeve and belt, and the white of the maid's headdress. Two retouched lines, possibly stretcher marks, run vertically along both the left and right margins, about 1-2 inches from the edge. Requires no further attention. This lot is offered in a gilt wood frame in good condition, with only a few minor knocks and losses.
"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 striking image is without doubt Cristofano Allori's most well-known composition and one of the most admired paintings of the Florentine Seicento. The popularity and fame of the picture was instantaneous, resulting in the production of a number of workshop replicas and several autograph versions, of which the present work is an important addition.¹ Dr. Francesca Baldassari confirmed the attribution following first-hand inspection when the painting was last on the market, and has since published it in her survey of Florentine Baroque works (see under Literature).

The prime examples of this subject by Allori himself are considered to be the paintings in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence (inv. no. 1912/96), recorded among the Grand-ducal collections (the Guardaroba medicea) on 20 September 1621, and in the Royal Collection (inv. no. RCIN 404989). The primacy of the latter painting is attested to not only by its inscription and date of 1613, but by the vividness of its characterisation, the freshness of colouring, and the numerous visible pentimenti, even following several preparatory drawings. Judith here displays a similar coolness and serene beauty, enveloped in rich red and yellow fabrics, her pose and demeanour in seeming opposition to the bloody act she has just committed.

The composition received numerous accolades from Allori's contemporaries, such as the poet Giambattista Marino, and the artist's biographer Filippo Baldinucci, who was the first to note an autobiographical interpretation of the subject. Baldinucci records that the model for the heroine was none other than the artist's mistress Maria di Giovanni Mazzafirra, with her mother the elderly servant.² Holofernes' decapitated head is a self-portrait of the artist, highlighting the duality of love and death inherent in the story, made explicit in Marino's poem: '...di due morte...vo' che tu cada: da me pria col bel viso, poi con la forte man...' ['...I want you to fall by means of two deaths: first by my beautiful face, then by my strong hand...'].³ This conceit of self-portraiture was not unprecedented, as evidenced by Lavinia Fontana and Artemesia Gentileschi casting themselves as the heroine herself or Caravaggio's depiction of himself as the vanquished giant in his David with the head of Goliath, a composition that Allori knew.⁴

1. For a discussion of the different versions and their variants, see M. Chappell, Cristofano Allori, exhibition catalogue, Palazzo Pitti, Florence 1984, pp. 78–81, cat. no. 25.

2. For a discussion of the autobiographical nature of the work, see J. Shearman, 'Cristofano Allori's Judith', in The Burlington Magazine, vol. 121, no. 910, January 1979, pp. 2–10.

3. G. Getto, Opere scelte di Giovan Battista Marino e dei Marinisti, Turin 1962, vol. I, p. 254.

4. Respectively in Bologna, Museo Davia Bargellini (inv. no. 1924/5); Naples, Museo di Capodimonte (inv. no. Q378); and Rome, Galleria Borghese (inv. no. 455).