Giuseppe Maria Crespi

Amadore Porcella, Rome;
By whom given to The Cleveland Museum of Art in 1936 (acc. no. 1936.350);
By whom sold, New York, Sotheby's, 28 January 2011, lot 40.

Bologna, Palazzo Comunale, Mostra del Settecento Bolognese, 1935, no. 14;
Cleveland Museum of Art, The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition of the Cleveland Museum of Art:  The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition, 26 June - 4 October 1936, no. 153;
New York, Durlacher Brothers, Paintings by Giuseppe Maria Crespi (1665-1747), 6 January - 6 February 1937, no. 3;
Cleveland Public Library, December 1960, on loan from the museum;
Las Vegas, Nevada, Tally-Ho, Masterpieces of European Art, 1963, no. 19.

H. S. Francis, "A Sketch of St. John the Baptist by Giuseppe Maria Crespi," in Cleveland Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. XXIII, 1936, pp. 107-109, reproduced fig. 105;
"Cleveland: A Crespi for the Museum," in Art news, vol. XXXIV, 12 September 1936, p. 12;
Durlacher Brothers: Paintings by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, New York 1937, no.3;
A. M. Frankfurter, "The Neglected Importance of Crespi (Part I)" in Art News, vol. XXXV, 16 January 1937, p. 12, reproduced p. 11;
"Crespi, Master of the Italian Baroque, Revived in New York Exhibit," in Art Digest, vol. XI, 15 January 1937, p. 12;
A. Porcella, Masterpieces of European Art, Las Vegas 1963, p.152, reproduced p. 153, no. 19 (listed as Crespi);
M. P. Merriman, The Paintings of Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University 1968, pp. 202-203, no. 79, reproduced fig. 147;
B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections, Cambridge 1972, pp. 59, 415, 573;
M. P. Merriman, Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Milan 1980, p. 248, no. 44, reproduced fig. 44;
Cleveland Museum of Art, Catalogue of Paintings:  Part Three.  European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries, Cleveland 1982, pp. 333-335, no. 148, reproduced;
A. Chong, European & American Painting in The Cleveland Museum of Art:  A Summary Catalogue, Cleveland 1993, p. 48, reproduced.

Oil on thickly woven canvas. There is a loss, approximately 1 inch long, along the upper right edge, above St John's fingers. The surface is in generally good condition aside from a stable web of craquelure; surface dirt and dust; and a slightly dirty varnish. Older retouches in Saint John's face, neck and shoulders have lightened with time. Under UV light, scattered retouches are visible throughout the work. A larger area of retouching at upper right corner; small scattered retouches in the background and around the contours of Saint John's face; an area to the left of his ear; and a few slightly larger areas of retouching in the center of his chest, his armpit, and his proper right wrist. And additional horizontal line of retouching, approximately 4 inches long, visible at lower left corner. In a black wood and gilt 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.

This is a study for the figure of Saint John the Baptist in Crespi's Holy Family, now in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow. That work, commissioned in 1715 by Cardinal Ottoboni, and its pendant, The Assumption of Joseph (Hermitage, St. Petersburg), were acquired in 1769 as part of the Bruhl collection.

Crespi painted a number of versions of the Holy Family and the figure of the young John the Baptist remains more or less consistent, suggesting that this study was retained in the studio and used as a guide.