Giovanni Battista Salvi, called Sassoferrato Sassoferrato 1609 - 1685 Rome

Possibly sold, London, Christie's, 13 July 1931, lot 72 (with measurements inverted).

The catalogue illustration is over-exposed: the painting is far less contrasted and pinker in tone. The canvas has been quite firmly relined and the lining still holds well. The painting has been recently cleaned and restored, and the varnish is clear and even. The paint surface appears a little thin in certain areas, such as the flesh tones, perhaps due to overcleaning in the past. Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals considerable retouching, strengthening and repaired damages throughout the painting. The darker folds of the curtain to the left have worn thin and appear strengthened under ultra-violet light. The sky shows areas of thinness as well as repaired damages; in the tree upper centre (6 by 4 cm.) and further damages centre right (the most important of which measure 4 by 4cm.; 3 by 4cm.; and 2 by 2cm.). A further repaired tear, and associated damages, runs from the Madonna's chest across to her left hand holding the flower. An extended damage runs along the painted edge lower centre (2-4cm. wide and 25cm. long) but this des not affect the figures since it occurs on the blue drapery and white sheet. Further retouchings and repaired damages are visible in the background and localised retouchings occur on the Madonna and Child. The latter's eye, lips and back of the head which are also strengthened. Restoration, although substantial, has been sensitively carried out and is not immediately obvious to the naked eye. The painting could be hung as is. This lot is offered in a carved gilt wood frame, in good condition: this is probably later in date but suitable in style (see illustration).
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For this composition of The Madonna and Child with the Rose Sassoferrato had recourse, as he often did, to a painting by another artist: it is based on a design by Simon Vouet (a painting today in the Musée Longchamp, Marseille), probably known to Sassoferrato through Claude Mellan's engraving after it of 1638.¹ Although much rarer than the single Madonna heads, the composition is not unique in Sassoferrato's oeuvre, existing in at least four upright variants: one, with a window opening, was sold in London, Christie's, 2 December 1977, lot 52; a second, almost identical, is now in the collection of W.S. Stirling of Keir, Dunblane; a third, an autograph variant of the Keir picture, is in the collection of the Earl of Haddington, Tyninghame, East Lothian; and a fourth, in which the window aperture has been replaced with a wooded landscape, is in the Pinacoteca in Turin (also known through an engraving in reverse. Information from Witt Library mounts). No other versions of the composition are known in horizontal or in oval format.

We are grateful to François Macé de Lépinay for endorsing the attribution to Sassoferrato on the basis of photographs. The painting will be included in Macé de Lépinay's forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist's works.

1  For Vouet's painting see W.R. Crelly, The Painting of Simon Vouet, New Haven and London 1962, p. 178, cat. no. 64, reproduced fig. 49.