Jacopo Coppi, called del Meglio

Anonymous sale, Budapest, Nagyházi Gallery and Auction House, 22 May 2001, lot 34 (as Central Italian master);

Where acquired by the present owner.

Budapest, Szépmuvészeti Muzeum, The Triumphant, the Defeated and the Victim. Caravaggio: David with the head of Goliath, 12 October – 30 November 2006, no. 7.

T. Vilmos, The Triumphant, the Defeated and the Victim. Caravaggio: David with the head of Goliath, exh. cat., Budapest 2006, pp. 28–29 and 78–79, no. 7, reproduced in colour.

Jacopo Coppi trained in the workshop of Michele Tosini, known as Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, with whom he collaborated on works commemorating Michelangelo’s funeral in 1564. Coppi was also an assistant to Giorgio Vasari and played a role in the decoration of the studiolo of Francesco I in the Palazzo Vecchio. As part of this ambitious project, he contributed The Invention of Gunpowder, as well as an oval painting depicting Alexander the Great Receiving Homage from the Family of Darius. In 1571, Coppi became a member of the Accademia del Disegno, a prestigious institution that reinforced his standing within Vasari’s artistic circle. This recognition led to commissions for several important altarpieces in Florence’s major churches, including Saint Vincent Ferrer Preaching for Santa Maria Novella and Ecce Homo for Santa Croce. By 1577, Coppi had moved to Rome, where he was entrusted with the fresco decoration of the tribune of San Pietro in Vincoli, illustrating episodes from the life of Saint Peter.

The attribution to Jacopo Coppi has been endorsed by Pierluigi Carofano in 2003 and by Mina Gregori in 2007 after first-hand inspection.¹

¹ A copy of these documents, respectively dated 20 January 2003 and 19 June 2007, is available upon request.