Alessandro Turchi, called l'Orbetto

Michel Particelli d'Hémery (1596-1650), Paris,  Surintendant des Finances (mentioned in his posthumous inventory of 1 August, 1650: "grand tableaua bordure d'or bruni représentant une Rome avec Rhémus et Romulus facon d'Alexandre Véronese;
Presumably thence by descent to his daughter Marie Particelli, who married in 1635
Louis Phélypeaux de La Vrillière (1599-1681), mentioned in his posthumous inventory of 13 June, 1681: "142 Item un autre grand tableau peint sur toile garny de sa bordure taillée et dorée représentant 'Remus et Romulus tétans une louve, et Rome triomphante,' de la manière d'Alexandre Veronese, prisé deux cens livres".

S. Cotté, "Un exemple du 'goût italien': la galerie de l'hôtel de la Vrillière", in Seicento, Le Siècle de Caravage..., note 63, page 96;
E. Schleier, "Aggiunte all' Orbetto", in Arte Documento 17- 19 2003 (studi per Pietro Zampetti), p. 408, reproduced;
D. Dossi, "Alessandro Turchi nella Francia del seicento: opere, mercato, commisioni," in ArtItalies, 19, 2013, p.16; reproduced, fig.5.

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 is restored. The canvas has a lining applied with wax, which is stabilizing the paint layer. The surface is quite dusty, and there are a few losses on the frame. The retouches, which are numerous throughout the painting, are quite diligent. There is no reason to re-examine them. They are clearly visible under ultraviolet light, particularly in the leg and left arm of the figure and in the illuminated sections of the children in the lower left. The chest and face of the adult figure also show small retouches, but they are less numerous here. Needless to say, there are restorations in the background and elsewhere throughout. While the painting is not in particularly good condition, the retouches are thorough and the picture looks well as is.
"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 dramatically lit, large-scale canvas is characteristic of Turchi's mature Roman style, and in both handling and subject matter it embraces Roman precedent as its inspiration. The subject, Bellona with Romulus and Remus, would have been immediately recognizable and likely in high demand in the fashionable circles within Turchi's clientele given its profane and ancient subject matter. Bellona, a Roman war goddess, is variably known as the wife and sister of Mars, the Roman God of war, and in depicting her with Mars' children Romulus and Remus, Turchi has presented a classic Roman image of the highest order. Bellona is recognized by her typical attributes: a plumed helmet, metal breastplate, and spear. Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus, are immediately recognizable as they suckle the divine she-wolf that protects the infants after being cast away by their grandfather's brother, Amulius. 

Turchi utilizes an overall classic Caravaggesque lighting scheme, with a strong use of chiaroscuro in which the single source of light washes over the composition from top left, creating deep shadows in the folds of Bellona's flowing drapery. This dramatic lighting contrasts beautifully with a colorful palette and classicising figures, both inspired by Annibale Carracci and Domenichino. The facial type of Bellona, with her smooth, elongated, features, recalls that of Venus in Turchi's Venus mourning Adonis (Private collection, see D. Scaglietti Kelescian, Alessandro Turchi, dello l'Orbetto, 1578 - 1649, exhibition catalogue, Milan 1999, p. 149, reproduced).

Born in Verona, Turchi received his initial training in the studio of Felice Brusasorci and moved to Rome circa 1614.  The popular moniker “Orbetto” (meaning "little blind one") by which he appears in many early records is likely to derive from his guiding his father, Silvestro, who had been blinded in an accident at work.  By 1619 he had settled permanently in Rome, becoming a member of the Accademia of San Luca of which he would be elected Principe in 1637, attesting to his high standing among his contemporaries and almost certainly an affiliation with the powerful Barberini family.