Francesco Furini Florence 1604 - 1646

John Jacob Astor Bristed, New York, by 1874;
By whom given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 1874, as 'Birth of Cyrus' by Francesco Furini;
By whom de-accessioned in 1955, as after Francesco Furini;
Sold, New York, Plaza, 7 June 1956, lot 71, to H. Ronnevig.

This is one of Furini's most successful compositions and exists in three other versions. The prime version (192 by 232 cm.) is in the Staatsgalerie, Schleißheim, Munich (see G. Cantelli, Repertorio della Pittura fiorentina del Seicento, Florence 1983, p. 89, reproduced plates 421 & 422); another (192 by 200 cm.) is listed by Cantelli (op. cit.) as on the art market, Milan, in 1976; and a third (205 by 162 cm.), of seemingly lesser quality than the present work and significantly reduced on the left (omitting the kneeling woman), was offered London, Christie's, 10 December 2003, lot 84.

We are grateful to Dott. Sandro Bellesi for endorsing the attribution to Furini on the basis of a colour transparency.