Pier Francesco Mola

John, Lord Northwick (1770-1859),   
by inheritance at Northwick Park,
to Capt. E.G. Spencer-Churchill,
sale, London, Sotheby's, 18 November 1919 (to Meatyard);
Purchased from Meatyard, 25 November 1919;
sale, London, Christie's, Master Drawings from the Oppé Collection, 5 December 2006, lot 35

London, Wildenstein Gallery, Artists in 17th Century Rome, 1955, no. 58;
London, Royal Academy, The Paul Oppé Collection, 1958, no. 286;
Lugano, Museo Cantonale d'Arte, Pier Francesco Mola, 1989, no. III. 106, reproduced

W.R. Juynboll, Het Komische Genre in de Italiansche Schilderkunst gedurende de zeventiende en de achtiende Eeuw, Leiden 1934, p. 146;
K.T. Parker, Catalogue of the Collections of Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum, vol. II, Italian Schools, Oxford 1956, under no. 915

Laid down on an old mount. Overall in very good condition. A few tiny light brown stains, one more noticeable at the right margin in the centre. Red chalk remains strong and vibrant - overall image powerful.
"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."

The event represented in this lively and satirical caricature is still to be identified, but the male figure holding a baby to be baptized, standing almost in the centre, can be identified as Niccolò Simonelli (1611-1671), a friend and patron of Mola and the subject of several of his caricatures, of which at least thirteen are known, including others previously in the Oppé collection.¹

The traditional attribution to Mola is not in question, even though the drawing is a very rare example of the artist using red chalk for one of his caricatures, most of which are drawn in pen and ink. Another one executed in red chalk is 'The impoverished artist', in the Pierpont Morgan Library, in which we see Simonelli shown with large wings, walking on clouds, while another figure, most probably intended to be Mola himself, struggles to catch his attention from below.²   Simonelli, an influential and active personality in the art world of the 17th century, served as an administrator under various cardinals, starting with Francesco Maria Brancaccio and Camillo Pamphili, then took charge of the Chigi household, and became 'guardarobiere' to the Cardinal Flavio Chigi, the nephew and favourite of Alexander VII.  He had a reputation as a connoisseur and adviser on artistic matters and was not afraid to use these advantages to deal in pictures and other artworks.  He also assembled his own notable collection of drawings by Giulio Romano, Polidoro da Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci, his favourite master, and collected paintings, antiquities and cameos too.³  Within the artistic community of his time his influence was important, and he helped, for instance, to launch the artistic career of Salvator Rosa. 

A handsome and flamboyant portrait of Simonelli (fig. 1), commissioned by the Cardinal Flavio Chigi and recently attributed to Mola by Francesco Petrucci,⁴ depicts the sitter in the famous 'Museo di curiosità', the Chigi museum housed in the Palazzo Chigi at Formello from circa 1664, and moved in 1675 to the Casino alle Quattro Fontane, in Via Felice, Rome.

^1. For information on the other caricatures and the ones from the Oppé collection, see exhib. cat., Lugano 1989, op. cit., no. III. 104, reproduced p. 285; no. III. 105, reproduced p. 286; no. II. 90, reproduced p. 277

^2. New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, inv. no. 1965.8; see exhib. cat., Lugano 1989, op. cit., no. III. 107

^3. F. Haskell, Patrons and Painters, revised and enlarged edition, New Haven and London, 1980, p. 124

^4. Private Collection; F. Petrucci, Pier Francesco Mola. Materia e colore nella pittura del '600, Rome 2012, pp. 238-239, no. A 10.