Circle of Sebastiano Ricci

Possibly with Caspari, Munich, 1930 (see below);
Dr. Hans Wendland, Lugano;
His sale, Berlin, Ball & Graupe, 24 April 1931, lot 11;
Lore and Rudolf Heinemann;
Sold by order of their executors, London, Christie's, 7 July 2000, lot 80 (as Sebastiano Ricci);
Anonymous sale ("Property of a Private Corporation"), New York, Sotheby's, 22 January 2004, lot 56 (as Sebastiano Ricci).

M. Levey, The Later Italian Pictures in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen, London 1964, p. 100, cited under cat. no. 646;
J. Daniels, Sebastiano Ricci, Hove 1976, p. 68, no. 213 (as Ricci);
J. Daniels, L'Opera Completa di Sebastiano Ricci, Milan 1976, p. 102, no. 172 (as Ricci);
A. Rizzi, Sebastiano Ricci, Exhibition Catalogue, Villa Manin di Passariano, 25 June-19 November 1989, p. 162, under no. 53 (as Ricci);
A. Scarpa, Sebastiano Ricci, Milan 2006,  p. 232, under cat. no. 253 and p. 295, under cat no. 427 (as from the circle of his closest pupils, Gaspare Diziani or Francesco Fontebasso).

The colours in the catalogue illustration are slightly too orange. The painting has been recently cleaned, restored and revarnished. The canvas has a recent relining. Overall the paint surface is in good condition, was solidly painted and has not suffered from wear. The colours remain vivid and the brushwork retains its original freshness. Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals no significant damages; just minor retouchings on the shepherd in red at far left; retouchings in the lower centre foreground; a few concentrated in an area around Joseph's stick and his raised knee; a small repaired damage on the Madonna's left hand (on two of her fingers) and on her right sleeve; and a tiny retouching on Christ's right knee. The painting is otherwise well preserved and can be hung as is. Its old-style carved wood frame is in good condition, despite the semblance of old wormholes, and is structurally sound.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This picture relates to an altarpiece by Sebastiano Ricci in Saluzzo Cathedral in Piedmont, datable circa 1703-1705, as well as to its modello in the Royal Collection at Hampton Court which was sold by Joseph Smith to King George III in 1763.¹  Although identical in its arch-topped format, the modello differs from the altarpiece in a number of respects: for example, there is no cartiglio held by the putti at the top, the hand of the cherub top right is visible, and the background figures behind the fence have yet to be added. In addition to these two works, there was also a picture which, despite being compositionally close to the modello, is of rectangular format and was engraved by Pietro Monaco.²  An inscription on Monaco's engraving lists that painting as being in the collection of Anton Maria Zanetti (1743) and in a later edition in that of the painter Gaspare Diziani (1763).³  This work has been variously identified with a number of pictures: firstly a painting that appeared with Algranti in London in 1989 (52 by 30 cm.); secondly with a picture listed as being in the Caspari Collection, Munich, in 1930 (57 by 51 cm. according to the Witt Library mount but proportionally more likely to correspond with the measurements of the present work, i.e. 67 by 51 cm.); and lastly with the present picture, which appeared in the Wendland sale in Berlin in 1931 (68 by 50.8 cm.).⁴  Scholars have speculated that this and the Caspari pictures are one and the same (Levey and Moretti), however Daniels and Scarpa differentiate between them on account of their dimensions.⁵

Long considered to be by Sebastiano Ricci himself (see provenance and literature), it wasn't until very recently that this attribution was called into question by Scarpa in her monograph on the artist.⁶  An attribution to Ricci's pupil Francesco Fontebasso has been proposed by Prof. Lino Moretti on the basis of photographs, noting that Fontebasso continued to visit his master's house until the latter's death in 1734. Dott.ssa Marina Magrini, to whom we are also grateful, does not endorse a full attribution to Fontebasso and has suggested it may be closer to Ricci's other chief pupil, Gaspare Diziani (an idea also tentatively proposed by Scarpa). It indeed seems plausible that Diziani might have painted this picture, particularly given that he owned a version of it in 1743, as Monaco's inscription on the engraving states.⁷

1.  Reproduced in A. Scarpa, under Literature, figs. 576 and 577 respecitvely. See also M. Levey, under Literature.
2.  Scarpa, op. cit., reproduced fig. 579.
3.  Scarpa, ibid., p. 232. The second edition was published in Monaco's Raccolta di...Storie sacre incise in altrettanti rami (1763).
4.  Ibid..
5.  Levey, under Literature; Prof. Lino Moretti, private communication (May 2012); Daniels, under Literature, 1976; Scarpa, ibid..
6.  Ibid., p. 295, under cat. no. 427.
7.  Idem..