Mattia Preti

In the collection of the present owner's family for at least the last fifty years.

The following condition report is provided by Rebecca Gregg, who is an external expert and not an employee of Sotheby's. The original canvas appears in a relatively good condition; lined on to an open weave secondary support the adhesion between these two layers appears stable. There are distinct planar deformations at the corners, however these ‘corner draws’ are not significant and could be keyed out. The overall tension is slack. There is a seam or join running the entire horizontal width of the canvas, this has been filled and it’s slightly raised in appearance. The paint layers are in a relatively good condition. The areas of whitish spotting, the most prominent of which is located across Christ’s right cheek and in the lower right corner do not appear to be abrasion or significant losses to the paint layers but appear to be a result of flaking within the varnish layer causing a white opaque appearance on top of the existing paint layer. It is difficult to fully assess the true condition of the original paint layer as the old natural resin varnish is so discoloured and thickly applied, however, while there are losses to the paint and ground layers and areas of abrasion present, these do not appear to be significant and the texture of the paint layers appears consistent with no obvious areas where it appears to have been extensively filled or re-worked. There is over-paint present, visible under ultra-violet examination which has been applied on top of the existing varnish layer. This is concentrated along the join, strengthening areas of the face and hair of the woman taken in adultery and scattered throughout. There are two distinct losses in the lower central figure’s robe which have been filled and retouched and there are areas of over-paint present along the lower edge and at the lower corners. The most significant area of glazing is located in the red drapery across Christ’s right arm; however, this layer does appear excessive. The over-paint present is discoloured and visually disturbing. It is probable that some of the ‘strengthening’ has been applied to pick out the central elements of the composition rather than to cover abrasion or loss. Although the condition of the original paint layers is difficult to assess, the major elements of the composition do appear sound. There is a significant layer of thickly applied and discoloured natural resin varnish layer present; there are two areas where bubble wrap has marked the upper layers of varnish at the top edge. There is also a thick layer of surface dirt.
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This unpublished and hitherto unknown painting by Mattia Preti was painted circa 1670 in Malta, where the artist had settled nine years previously and where he was to remain until his death in 1699. This period of Preti's career saw him engaged in numerous important commissions such as the decoration of much of the interior of the co-cathedral of St John. Though much of this later work relied on the aide of assistants, the present work should be considered wholly autograph.

The Caravaggesque chiaroscuro technique so favoured by Preti earlier in his career became less prominent in the late 1660s and he began to employ a more muted palette, though he continued to employ his favoured golden and red tones, seen here respectively in the central characters and in the adultress' cloak to the right of the composition. The effect is to give the figures a sculptural presence, though the monumentality of Preti's earlier figures is tempered by the soft physiognomies and the gentle actions of the dramatis personae. A similarly tranquil effect both in terms of colour and movement is achieved in his Rachel Hides the Household Idols in Cosenza.¹

Preti depicted the subject on at least four other occasions though he does not seem to have ever repeated individual compositions. The present design stands out for its use of a strong horizontal narrative, a technique used in other works from this period, including the Risen Christ Appears to the Apostles in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville² and for the shift of the focus of the scene, Christ's words in the sand lower left, away from the centre of the design. This decentralisation of the focal point is accentuated by the figure to the left looking over his shoulder from the very edge of the composition.



1. See J. Spike, Mattia Preti, Florence 1999, p. 129, cat. no. 27, reproduced.
2. Idem, pp. 277-78, cat. no. 214, reproduced.