Sevillian School, 17th Century

Sir Joseph C. Robinson;
Sir Francis Cook, 1st Baronet, by 1874;
By descent to Sir Frederick Cook, Bt.;
His and the Cook Trustees sale, London, Sotheby's, 25 June 1958, lot 44 (as by Alonso Cano), to Clark;
Lord Clark of Saltwood, O.M., C.H., K.C.B.;
His deceased sale, London, Sotheby's, 5 July 1984, lot 183 (as by Antonio del Castillo).

London, Grafton Galleries, Spanish Old Masters, 1913, no. 163 (as by Alonso Cano, where lent by Sir Frederick Cook).

M.W. Brockwell, Catalogue of the paintings at Doughty House, Richmond and elsewhere in the collection of Sir Frederick Cook, Bt., vol. III, 1915, p. 151, no. 513, reproduced (as by Alonso Cano);
M.W. Brockwell, Abridged catalogue of the pictures at Doughty House, Richmond, 1932, p. 62, no. 513 (as by Alonso Cano);
H.E. Wethey, Alonso Cano, Painter, Sculptor, Architect, Princeton 1955, p. 189 (as by Antonio del Castillio);
J.A. Gaya Nuño, Vida de Asisclo Antonio Palomino, Córdoba 1981, p. 132, no. 569;
J. Valverde Madrid, "El pintor Antonio del Castillo", in Boletín de la Real Academia de Córdoba, vol. 82, 1961, n. 127;
J. Valverde Madrid, "Nuevos datos sobre el pintor Antonio del Castillo", in Boletín de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de santa Isabel de Hungría, vol. 4, 1976, p. 225, no. 173;
F. Zueras Torrens, "Aportaciones Cordobesas a la pintura barroca", in I  Curso El Barocco en Andalucía, vol. II, Córdoba 1982, p. 127, no. 137; 
B. Navarrete Prieto, La Pintura Andaluza del siglo XVII y sus fuentes grabadas, Madrid 1998, p. 285;
M. Nancarrow & B. Navarrete Prieto, Antonio del Castillo, Madrid 2004, p. 356, under rejected attributions (by a follower of Alonso Cano).

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The original canvas is lined. The paint layer is stable and flat. There is a prevalence of the red ground colour through much of the background paint, which has been abraded and is thin; and consequential strengthening in this area has occurred. The shadows cast by the figures in the foreground have been abraded and the canvas texture is visible, augmentation has also been undertaken here. Pale cracking to the darker passages and dark cracking to the pale areas have broken up the image. There is the remains of an older varnish which has blanched causing a dullness and lack of saturation of the paint film. There are areas that are in a good condition and removal of the discoloured varnish would improve the tonality. Offered in a carved gilt wood frame with some chips."
"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."

The composition is based, in reverse, on an engraving by Agostino Carracci¹ which is itself derived from one of two almost identical drawings by Rafaellino da Reggio, one of which is now in the Gabinetto disegni e stampe degli Uffizi, and the other is in the Gabinetto delle stampe, Milan.

1. See D. Bohlin (ed.), The Illustrated Bartsch, no. 39 (formerly vol. 18, part I), New York 1980, p. 50, no. 3-I.