Possibly Giulio Gaulli, son of the artist, by 1761, inv. no. 26 or 127 (see catalogue note);
Thence possibly by descent to Marianna Tufenni Gaulli, by 1776, inv. nos. 40 and 41 (see catalogue note);
Sale, Paris, Drouot, June 9, 1995, lot 1;
There acquired by the present collector.
The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
This painting was lined in the 19th century. The paint layer itself has been cleaned more recently. The restoration that has been applied is quite good. There are no structural damages. There is some thinness immediately surrounding the yellow glow in the sky around the head of Christ. There are some retouches added to diminish some slight thinness in the surrounding clouds and spandrel. The varnish may have bloomed and become slightly milky in areas. If there is anything to re-examine in the restoration, it
would be to eliminate this bloom in the varnish and reacquire some of the richness of the colors, particularly in the spandrel. In the figure itself and in the areas where the paint is heavier, such as in the highlights of the clouds, the condition is very good.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."
This previously unpublished painting is a rare autograph
bozzetto for Giovanni Battista Gaulli's most prestigious commission,
Vision of Heaven, which adorns the cupola of the church of Gesù, Rome (see fig. 1).
1 In the completed composition, Christ sits on a cloud to the left of God, gazing upward in adoration, with the Madonna in profile to the right and a multitude of saints and angels surrounding them. The church was commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and its magnificent cupola was frescoed between 1672 and 1678. Until now only three
bozzetti were known: an
Angels and Saints in Glory in the Museum Kunst Palast, Dusseldorf; a
Concert of Angels in the Vatican Museums, Rome; and a
Group of Musical Angels in the Fondazione Longhi, Florence, making the study for
Christ in Glory an addition of great significance.
2
Francesco Petrucci suggests that this work may be identifiable as one of two entries in the 1761 inventory of the artist's son, Giulio Gaulli: no. 127, "Bozzetto di Cristo risorto" or no. 26, "Altro quadro parimente dà Testa per alto rappresentante Nostro Sig.re Gesù Cristo, abozzo del predetto Bacicci, con sua Cornice antica dorata, scudo uno sc. 1" ; and also with with two entries in the 1776 inventory of his widow, Marianna Tufenni Gaulli, nos. 40 and 41, "Due Bozzetti del Bacicci rapp.ti, uno S. Fran.co Saverio in Gloria, e l'altro la Resurrezz.e di N.ro Signore Gesù Cristo, con Cornicette bianche Modello di Salvator Rosa, scudi quattro."3
We are grateful to Francesco Petrucci for endorsing an attribution to Giovanni Battista Gaulli and for indicating the possible Gaulli family provenance.
1. F. Petrucci, Baciccio, Giovanni Battista Gaulli 1639 - 1709, Rome 2009, p. 192 - 197.
2. Ibid., pp. 460 - 461, nos. B10a, B10b, B10c, reproduced.
3. Ibid, pp. 676 - 680.
