Circle of Domenico Fetti

Myron H. Wilson, Cleveland;
By whom given to The Cleveland Museum of Art in 1940 [acc. no. 1940.437].

New York, Durlacher Bros., A Loan Exhibition of Paintings by Domenico Fetti: 1589-1624, 28 February - 25 March 1950, no. 50;
Mantua, Palazzo Te, Domenico Fetti 1588/89 - 1623, 15 September - 15 December 1996, no. 50 (as a free interpretation by a Northern-trained artist).

H. S. Francis, "'Jacob's Dream,' by Domenico Fetti, " in Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, November 1941, pp. 133, 135-136, reproduced (as Fetti);
H. A. La Farge, "Fetti's Variations on his own Theme," in Art News, vol. XLIX, March 1950, p. 44, reproduced (as Fetti);
E. Arslan, "Cinque disegni Veneti," in Arte Veneta, VIII, 1954, p. 291 note 2 (as Fetti);
C. Perina, in Mantova.  Le Arti, III, Mantua 1965, p. 500 note 176 (as a replica);
C. Donzelli and G.M. Pilo, I Pittori del Seicento Veneto, Florence 1967, pp. 174-175;
J.M. Lehmann, Domenico Fetti.  Leben und Werk des römischen Malers, Ph.D. dissertation, Frankfurt-am-Main 1967, p. 222, no. 19 (as not by Fetti);
B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections, Cambridge 1972, pp. 70, 256, 573 (as "not autograph");
A. Pigler, Barockthemen:  eine Auswahl von Verzeichnissen zur Ikonographie des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts, Budapest 1974, vol. I, p. 62 (as a copy);
E. Safarik, Fetti, Milan 1990, p. 36, no. 3d, reproduced (as a free interpretation after Fetti);
A. Chong, European & American Painting in The Cleveland Museum of Art:  A Summary Catalogue, Cleveland 1993, p. 77 (as a copy after Fetti)
E. Safarik, Domenico Fetti:  1588/89 - 1623, exh. cat. Palazzo Te, Mantua, Milan 1996, pp. 199-200, no. 50, reproduced p. 199 (as a free interpretation by a Northern-trained artist). 

The canvas is lined. The surface of the work is in good condition. There is faint craquelure throughout the piece. Under UV; evidence of inpainting along the left side of the work and a slightly in the upper center. Heavy use of varnish.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In the 1996 exhibition catalogue, Safarik lists nine known versions of this composition by Fetti and his followers (see Literature).  The prime version is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 3819) and shows the angels ascending on a golden staircase.  Of all the versions, the present picture is the only one to depict a ladder instead.