* Lavinia Fontana Bologna 1552 - 1614 Rome

The omophorion worn by  the donor might suggest that he belonged to a Greek order.  The presence of the three golden balls, widely recognised as a symbol of St. Nicholas of Bari, and the stem of white lilies, themselves an emblem of St. Anthony of Padua, might also indicate figures particularly venerated by the donor.

The painting has been attributed to Lavinia Fontana by Dottssa. Maria Teresa Cantaro, confirmed in a letter of authenticity accompanying this lot. Cantaro dates the copper to a mature phase in Fontana's career, that is to the last decade of her life (1604-14). During this period the painter was residing in Rome and it is more than likely that she came into contact with the Greek order in the Abbazia di Grottaferrata and with the Collegio Greco in via del Babuino, Rome. The latter had been founded by Pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni in 1580 and had encouraged a renewed interest in the order. Fontana knew Pope Gregory well and had painted him in 1580-85, thus strengthening her ties with the order, and in 1594 he had also painted Gregory's son, Jacopo Boncompagni and his wife Costanza Sforza (the latter hangs today in the Casino Boncompagni-Ludovisi).