Alessandro Turchi, called l'Orbetto

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 has not been recently restored. It is noticeably dirty and certainly will respond well to cleaning. The canvas has an old lining, which is still very successful. There appears to be a very healthy paint layer beneath a heavy layer of dirt and varnish. One can see that the outline of the shoes held by the figure in the center left has been strengthened, as have the outlines in the left hand of the bearded figure. The brick work has also been delineated. These are all recent, cosmetic restorations, bearing no relation to the actual condition. There are a few spots of restoration in the sky that have discolored. If and when the picture is cleaned, considerably more depth will be acquired. The strengthening that has been added will no longer be necessary, and the paint layer generally should be revealed to be in generally good condition. Retouches will be required around the edges and in a few spots in the sky, but it is doubtful that any significant restorations will be required within the work itself.
"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."

The subject, the Return of the Prodigal Son, is taken from the Gospel of Saint Luke (Luke 15: 11-32).  According the Gospel, a father decides to provide his two sons with their future inheritance before his death; the elder son is careful with his fortune, while the younger son is wasteful and squanders his share.  Turchi here depicts the moment when, close to starvation and forced to work as a swineherd, the younger son returns to his father to beg employment.  Depicted in tattered rags, the son kneels before his father who accepts him warmly, ordering a feast to celebrate his return.  The servant at left brings shoes for his bare feet, the bearded figure in yellow brings a ring, as described in the parable and in the background fatted calf is sacrificed for the imminent feast.   

The figures are painted with Turchi’s typical dynamism, their twisting, contraposto poses conveying a powerful sense of movement.  The crouching pose of the father, stooping to embrace his youngest son in forgiveness, is reprised in the stance of the servant in the background who bends to sacrifice the calf, as though to echo the generosity of the father.  The female servant at right, in her emerald colored robes and hair coiled up in a red ribbon, recalls the female attendants in Turichi’s Death of Anthony and Cleopatra in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. 703).