Giovanni Battista Lenardi

Commissioned from the artist for the church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, Rome, and installed in the left chapel in 1690;
Acquired in 1978 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, New York;
By whom donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1984 (as Domenichino);
By whom deaccessioned and sold, New York, Sotheby's (Property of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), 29 May 2003, lot 55 (as Lenardi);
Where acquired by the present owner.

Austin, Texas, The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas, on loan for the opening exhibits of the new building, 2006 (as Lenardi).

A. Nibby and M. Vasi, Itinerario di Roma e delle sue vicinanze, Rome 1853;
G. Zandri, San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, Rome 1971, pp. 58-60, 87, notes 124-125;
N. Pio, Le Vite di pittori, scultori et architetti, C. and R. Engass, eds., Vatican City 1977, pp. 89-90, 252;
Apollo, vol. CVIII, December 1978, reproduced on the cover (as Domenichino);
R. Spear, Domenichino, New Haven and London 1982, p. 317 (under Doubtful and Wrongly Attributed Paintings, as circle of Pietro da Cortona or Lazzaro Baldi);
J. Pope-Hennessy, Times Literary Supplement, 25 March 1983, p. 305 (as Domenichino);
J. Pope-Hennessy, Notable Acquisitions.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York 1984-1985 (as Domenichino);
F. Titi, Studio di pittura, scoltura et architettura, nelle chiese di Roma 1674-1763, B. Contardi and S. Romano, curs., Florence 1987, p. 112, C513, E715, F1057 (original edition 1686 and also in the editions of 1721 and 1763 as "un altro Quadro che figura l'Assunta di Maria Vergine con un Santo Greco da un lato, lavoro di  Gio: Battista allievo di Lazzaro Baldi [another painting that depicts the Ascension of the Virgin Mary with a Greek Saint by her side, a work by Gio: Battista a pupil of Lazzaro Baldi]);
G. Bolaffi, ed., Dizionario Enciclopedico dei Pittori e degli Incisori Italiani dall' XI al XX secolo, Torino 1990, vol. VI, p. 390.

Relined. painting is under a fairly clean varnish with lovely coloration and details throughout. there appears to be some degeneration in the mid-tones of some of the flesh tones particularly noticeable in some of the apostles at center and a bit in the face of the main saint. well addressed, but visible to the discerning naked eye, is a compound tear starting above the head of the Virgin and going down into that figure. there are some scattered abrasions here and there in the sky where there is a mottled appearance that would seem to be the breaking down of the blue pigments (smalt?). ultraviolet light reveals tear as mentioned and numerous scattered, tiny dots of restoration throughout of various degrees of seriousness. some are scattered in the Virgin's face; some scattered restorations, and a possible old repaired hole, in the white drapery of the figure at right. the bottom half of the painting shows less retouching on the whole. there is a possible restored horizontal fold, rather than tear, at the chin level of the figure of St. Nicolas with some restorations along it. All this having been said, the painting presents itself very well with its impressive size, composition and lush coloration, and the condition is more or less typical of a Baroque painting of this date and size. no further work is necessary and painting can be hung in its present state. In a carved and gilt wood frame with scroll design at corners.
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.

Although this large and impressive altarpiece was thought to be the work of Domenichino when it first surfaced on the art market in 1978, it was identified prior to its sale by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2003 as the work that Giovanni Battista Lenardi completed for the church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami in Rome.  The work was installed in the left chapel of the church in 1690, when records show that the artist's brother Pietro Paolo was paid for making adjustments to it.  In 1855, the altarpiece was replaced with a copy of Carlo Maratti's Flight into Egypt, although it appears that Lenardi's painting remained in the church in another location until at least 1929, as documented by Guiliana Zandri (see Literature).  The prominent depiction of Saint Nicholas of Myra in his distinctly "Greek" costume makes the association of this altarpiece with the one described in Filippo Titi's study of Rome's churches a virtual certainty (see Literature).   Lenardi, whose oeuvre has only recently begun to be comprehensively studied, was a student of Pietro da Cortona and Lazzaro Baldi, both of whom were proposed as potential authors of the present work by Richard Spear in 1982 (see Literature).  A compositional drawing that has been squared for enlargement was identified by Jörg Merz in the Kupferstichkabinett, Düsseldorf (no. 8808/18).