Bernardo Strozzi

With Galerie Sanct Lucas, Vienna, 1937.

Vienna, Galerie Sanct Lucas, Italienische Barockmalerei, May - June 1937, no. 123.

Italienische Barockmalerei, exhibition catalogue, Vienna, Galerie Sanct Lucas, May - June 1937, p. 42, cat. no. 123;
L. Mortari, "Su Bernardo Strozzi", in Bollettino d'Arte, 1955, p. 333;
L. Mortari, Bernardo Strozzi, Rome 1966, p. 217 (unknown to the author at first hand and therefore unable to form a judgement);
L. Mortari, Bernardo Strozzi, Rome 1995, p. 258, cat. no. 198 (erroneously described as on canvas; unknown to the author and untraced therefore unable to form a judgement).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This small oil on copper has fairly recently been restored and if the varnish were freshened it could be hung as is. Under ultraviolet light retouches to address some losses are visible in the red gown of the Madonna, in the dark colors in the lower right, in a few spots in the upper right background and beneath the dark portion of the curtain. The restoration is very accurate and the remainder of the paint layer seems to be healthy. The calligraphy across the bottom Ave virgo gloriosa seems to be original.
"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."

This painting has not been seen since its exhibition in 1937 and all judgements of it – until now – have not been based on firsthand knowledge of the work.¹  It is an extremely interesting and rare addition to Strozzi's œuvre, particularly since it dates from very early in his career and is only one of four paintings (one of which remains untraced) known to have been executed by the artist on copper. The other examples are: a Crucifixion, dated by Mortari to the second half of the 1610s or shortly afterwards, in the Viezzoli collection, Genoa;² an Annunciation, datable to the early 1630s, in the Civiche Raccolte d'Arte, Milan;³ and a Saint Augustine, recorded in the 1666 inventory of the collection of Francesco Maria Ruffo in Genoa but since untraced.⁴  Of the three coppers known to date (this one, the Viezzoli and Milan paintings), the present work would appear to be the earliest.

The function of this small-scale work on copper would almost certainly have been for private devotion, as the inscription along the bottom would also indicate. The Madonna is shown seated frontally, her eyes downcast as she reads from an open book, and the Christ Child and Infant Saint John the Baptist are also depicted reading, though they are studying the inscription on the Baptist's cartiglio. The pose of the Madonna, her head slightly inclined and her eyes lowered, seems to be a recurring motif in Strozzi's early compositions; compare, for example, the Madonna in his Apparition of the Madonna Hodigitria in the church of San Maurizio di Monti, Rapallo, or his Madonna of the Rosary with the Christ Child and Saints Dominic and Carlo Borromeo in the parish church of Framura.⁵  Both works have been dated by Mortari to circa 1615 or just before, and a similar date of execution seems plausible for the present work. Other parallels can be drawn with the Framura canvas, in particular the child type that the artist uses for the putti, Christ Child and infant Baptist. These children all have a nervous energy that is still deeply rooted in the mannerist tradition and probably derive, albeit loosely, from other Cinquecento genoese artists such as Luca Cambiaso. The play of light and dark on the putti in the foreground of the Framura painting also finds an echo here, with Strozzi convincingly portraying the shadow cast by the Christ Child's head on the Baptist's face. The painting that comes closest to the present copper is Strozzi's Holy Family with Infant Saint John the Baptist formerly in the Torrigiani collection in Camigliano, Lucca.⁶  That painting was dated by Mortari to circa 1615 and she noted the reddish tonality of the figures' flesh tones (something also evident in this copper). Although the Torrigiani painting is much larger in scale and on canvas, the drapery folds beneath Christ and on the Madonna's sleeve are treated in a similar manner to those depicted here. It is interesting to note that there is a pentimento on the Madonna's blue sleeve, indicating that even at this early stage Strozzi was working swiftly and confidently, without a clear idea of a finished design.⁷

We are grateful to Dr. Andaleeb Banta for endorsing the attribution to Strozzi after firsthand inspection of the work. Dr. Banta believes the painting to date from circa 1615.  We are also grateful to Dott. Camillo Manzitti for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs and suggesting a date of execution circa 1620. Dott. Manzitti plans to publish the painting in his forthcoming monograph on the works of Bernardo Strozzi.

1. Mortari listed the painting under 'Opere dubbie, erroneamente attribuite o non rintracciate' because she had never seen it at firsthand, so much so that she wrongly described it as being oil on canvas. It was not reproduced in the catalogue accompanying the 1937 exhibition and the picture remained untraced at the time of her monograph so she was therefore unable to form a judgement. See L. Mortari, under Literature, 1966 and 1995.
2. 48 by 42 cm.; see Mortari, op. cit., 1995, pp. 132-33, cat. no. 136, reproduced.
3. M.C. Galassi, in G. Algeri (ed.), Bernardo Strozzi, Genova 1581/82-Venezia 1644, exhibition catalogue, Genoa, Palazzo Ducale, May 6 – August 6, 1996, pp. 204-5, cat. no. 53, reproduced in color.
4. The inventory is dated May 13, 1666, and is held at the Archivio di Stato, Genoa: see V. Belloni, Scritti e cose d'arte genovese, Genoa 1988, p. 154.
5. Mortari, ibid., p. 88, cat. no. 30, and p. 90, cat. no. 39, both reproduced.
6. Ibid., pp. 86-87, cat. no. 27, reproduced.
7. Obviously no underdrawing would have been possible on the copper support but the freedom with which Strozzi paints the drapery, especially the blue cloth and the green curtain above, indicates that he was extremely precocious even at this early stage in his career.