Giorgio Garri

Sir Alfred L. Jones, K.C.M.G. (1845–1909), Liverpool;
The Committee of the Constitutional Club, London;
By whom sold London, Sotheby's, 28 November 1962, lot 157, for £2,200 to Sestieri

N. Spinosa in La natura morta in Italia, vol. II, Milan 1989, p. 950, reproduced plate 1154;
L. Salerno, La natura morta italiana, Rome 1984, p. 254, reproduced plate 68.1

The canvas has an old relining. This has resulted in a flattened paint surface, although there remain traces of good impasto in the still life at the centre. A large area of scattered paint loss is visible in foliage, at the right, and around the woman's head, at the centre. There are signs of frame abrasion around the edges of the canvas. Elsewhere, the paint surface is secure. The colours remain strong and the paint surface clean, except for the whites of the flesh which have started to discolour somewhat. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a cloudy varnish and scattered retouching to the foliage. Other very few, small areas of retouchings are revealed in the flesh tones and the still life. Overall the work is in good condition. The work is offered in a molded gilt frame, with a few knocks.
"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."

Giorgio Garri is mentioned by Bernardo De Dominici, the biographer of Neapolitan artists, as being a pupil of Nicola Casissa and a specialist in flowers and fruit.¹ His brother Giovanni was a painter of seascapes and landscapes, whilst his daughter Colomba was said to have excelled in the same genre as her father. A work by Garri is listed in the 1748 inventory of Gugliemo Ruffo, the Prince of Scilla, in Calabria.² The present signed work, published by both Luigi Salerno and Nicola Spinosa, is the largest and most important known extant painting by Garri, and thus provides the point of departure for the reconstruction of his oeuvre. In citing a second signed work in the Pinacoteca d'Errico, Matera, Spinosa compares the style of Garri to the final style of Giovan Battista Ruoppolo.³

^1. See B. De Dominici, Vite de' pittori, scultori e architetti napoletani, vol. III, Naples 1742, p. 575.
^2. E. Rogadeo di Torrequadra, La quadreria del principe di Scilla, 1898, pp. 72-75.
^3. N. Spinosa in La natura morta in Italia, vol. II, Milan 1989, p. 980, reproduced plate 1199.