Lot 20
  • 20

Carlo Dolci

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
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Description

  • Carlo Dolci
  • The Penitent Magdalene
  • oil on copper

Provenance

Private collection, Brussels.

Literature

F. Baldassari, Seicento Fiorentino. Sacred and Profane Allegories, Florence 2012, pp. 17–18, reproduced fig. 8.

F. Baldassari, Carlo Dolci, Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, Florence 2015, p. 171, cat. no. 76, reproduced.

Condition

The copper plate is perfectly flat other than a little unevenness in the corners. There are some tiny losses at the very top left corner presumably due to abrasion against the rebate of the frame. In taking light one can discern a few small losses which have subsequently been restored: in the dark behind the Magdalene's legs and to the right of her face. There is a discoloured retouching in the sky. Beyond this the paint surface is beautifully preserved.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Carlo Dolci was undoubtedly the protagonist of seventeenth-century painting in Florence. He was a prodigious young artist, who quickly established himself as court painter to the Medici grand dukes and his work was to leave a lasting and significant impact on Florentine painting. In particular his facial types, as well as his impressive use of blues and purples – both discernible in the present work – inspired countless followers, admirers and collectors.

In this intimate copper, destined for private devotion, we find the Magdalene repenting in the wilderness, her alluring nakedness reminding us of her unchaste past. Her breasts are exposed and the blue folds of her robes reveal her leg up to the thigh in a scene that, for all its allusion to the vanity of life and repentance, must, surely, have also been a celebration of the female form.

Francesca Baldassari (see Literature) notes that a preparatory drawing in red and black chalk on white paper is in the Albertina, Vienna, where it is listed as after Bilivert (inv. no. 850).1 She goes on to compare the present work with another small copper, the Christ in the Garden in Palazzo Bianco, Genoa.2

1. V. Birke and J. Kertész, Die italiansiche Zeichnungen der Albertina. Generalverzeichnis, Vienna-Cologne-Weimar 1992, vol. I, p. 442.

2. Baldassari 2015, pp. 148–49, cat. no. 53, reproduced.