Giovan Francesco de Rosa, called Pacecco de Rosa

The colours of the original are a touch more yellow than they appear in the catalogue illustration. The canvas has firm relining which has somewhat flattened the paint surface, which is otherwise in good condition under a yellowed varnish. There are a handful of unobtrusive old tears along the margins of the canvas which presumably occurred before the relining. The most notable of these is upper left in the darks of the background and is the shape of an inverted Y, approx. 10 by 8 cm. There is an old restored damage of approx. 3 cm squared to the left of the Saint’s hair. Inspection under UV light is impeded by the aforementioned varnish but a patch of retouchings does fluoresce lower left in the shadow of her blue robe as does a second patch next to this in the bottom of her yellow robes. Offered in a later gilt wood and plaster frame in good condition.
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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 newly discovered work is a characteristic example of Pacecco de Rosa's style. Typical of the Neapolitan Baroque is the penumbra of the setting, the soft flesh tones and the intense psychological portrayal of the saint. The painting should be compared to a Penitent Magdalene in a private collection in Naples of similar dimensions.¹

1. V. Pacelli, Giovan Francesco de Rosa detto Pacecco de Rosa, Naples 2008, p. 338-39, cat. no. 73, reproduced.