Cesare Dandini

Probably Sir Robert Dick-Cunyngham, Bt., Prestonfield House, Edinburgh.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The canvas is lined and the paint layer is secure and flat. There are visible restorations to the hands, the left blue sleeve, the red cushion, the hair and the background. Under ultra-violet light a scattering of minor restorations can also be seen across the surface. The face, the fingers of the sitter's left hand, the right blue sleeve and most of the cushion are in good untouched condition; the paint texture is well preserved and the impasto crisp. The varnish is discoloured and removing it would improve the tonality. Offered in a plain moulded gilt wood frame, with some losses."
"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."

Dandini painted the prime version of this composition for his patron Don Lorenzo de' Medici, probably for his Villa della Petraia, where the painting was hanging as early as 1649 (now Depositi delle Gallerie, Florence, inv. 1890, n. 6457; see S. Bellesi, Cesare Dandini, Florence 1996, pp. 70-71, cat. no. 19).  Lush and languid in tone, the painting must have been successful, as Dandini made other versions, including some in oval format (one of which is in the Bargagli Petrucci collection, Florence; see S. Bellesi, op. cit., pp. 74-76, cat. no. 23).

We are grateful to Dr. Sandro Bellesi who, based on photographs, has endorsed the attribution to Dandini and dates the work to the early 1630s.


A note on the Provenance:
An old label on the reverse of the relining canvas reads: Portrait of one of the Medicini [sic] Family bought at Sir Robert Dick's sale 1851. Carlo Dolce.  The collector in this case was almost certainly Sir Robert Dick-Cunyngham, 7th Baronet of Prestonfield (1773-1849), Edinburgh, who formed a noted collection of Italian pictures.