Lot 692
  • 692

Jacopo Vignali

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description

  • Jacopo Vignali
  • Jael and Sisera
  • oil on canvas
  • 48 7/8 by 40 1/8 in.; 124 by 102.1 cm.

Provenance

James G. Hope, Glen Oaks, New York, by 1945 (as Carlo Dolci);
Private Collection, New York, by 1981.

Literature

M. Chappell, 'Missing Pictures by Lodovico Cigoli. Some Problematic Works and Some Proposals in Preparation for a Catalogue' in Paragone, no. 373 1981, p. 57, reproduced plate 61.

Condition

Canvas is relined. There are areas which are rubbed slightly in the chest of lady. A few discolored retouches are visible as slightly brighter spots in her chest and arm, and in green drapes at upper right. UV confirms small scattered retouches both above and below an older varnish. They are small though and very isolated, and could be reevaluated with a cleaning, which would certainly brighten the composition. In a carved and painted wood frame.
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.

Catalogue Note

In his 1981 article on Ludovico Cigoli, Chappell gives this Jael and Sisera to Jacopo Vignali but mentions that the work had been seen in 1945 while in the collection of James Hope, New York, by Suida who mistakenly attributed it to Carlo Dolci.  As Chappell asserts, the present composition is a derivation of a drawing by Cigoli in the Uffizi, Florence (inv. no. 8890 F) which is then reprised on the verso of a sketch for Tobias and the Angel in the Bigiongiari Collection, Florence.1 These were perhaps preparatory sketches for a painting now lost; it is possible that the present painting followed this final composition or otherwise suggests Vignali had access to Cigoli's drawings. 

We are grateful to Francesca Baldassari for supporting an attribution to Vignali. Prof. Baldassari has suggested that Vignali's pupil Montini may have assisted his master in the figure of Jael, the more swift and fluid brushstrokes being consistent with the younger artist's painting style.

1.  See M. Chappell under Literature, op. cit., p. 57, reproduced plate 59b and p. 58, reproduced plate 59a.