Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini

Italico Brass, Venice, 1921;
Gatti-Casazza Collection, Venice.

Paris, Petit Palais, La peinture italienne au XVIIIe siècle, 1960–61, no. 6 (according to a label on the reverse);
Padua, Palazzo della Ragione, Antonio Pellegrini. Il maestro Veneto del Rococo alle corti d'Europa, 20 September 1998 – 10 January 1999, cat. no. 26.

R. Pallucchini, 'Modelli di Giannantonio Pellegrini', in Arte Veneta, VII, 1953, p.110, reproduced fig. 103;
C. Donzelli, Pittori veneti del Settecento, Florence 1957, p. 184;
K. Garas, 'Allegorie und Geschichte in der venezianischen Malerei des 18. Jahrhunderts', in Acta Historiae Artium, IX, 1965, p. 298;
G. Knox, Antonio Pellegrini 1675–1742, Oxford 1995, p. 260, cat. no. P.439;
A. Bettagno, in Antonio Pellegrini. Il maestro veneto del Rococo alle corti d'Europa, exh. cat., Padua 1998, p. 156, cat. no. 26;
F. Magani, Bozzetti, modelli e piccolo dipinti del Sei e Settecento Veneto, Padua 2008, pp. 22–25.

The canvas is lined, the paint surface is clean and the varnish is clear and even. The colours, impasto paintwork and wet-in-wet brushstrokes remain fresh and intact. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals very small and few minor retouchings in the sky, scattered among the figures, and to a small area in the centre of the lower margin. In overall very good condition. Offered in a carved and gilt wood frame in good condition.
"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."

According to legend Thalestris, warrior Queen of the Amazons, brought three hundred followers to see Alexander with the aim of convincing him to father a child by her, and a race of warrior children for her followers. Their stay lasted thirteen days and nights, but the entire event was later dismissed as fictional by Alexander's biographers such as Plutarch. Knox notes the many similarities between this sketch and the larger finished canvas depicting Alexander with the body of Darius today in the Cassa di Risparmio in Padua, and suggests a similar dating to around 1706–07.¹ He also suggests a possible alternative interpretation of the subject as a meeting between the third-century Palmyrene Queen Zenobia and the Emperor Aurelian.

¹ Knox 1995 cat. no. P.337, reproduced plate 34.