Lot 185
  • 185

LUCA GIORDANO, CALLED FA PRESTO | Allegory of the Peace between Fiesole and Florence, a bozzetto

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description

  • Studio of Luca Giordano
  • Allegory of the Peace between Fiesole and Florence, a bozzetto
  • oil on canvas
  • 102 x 75 cm.; 40 1/4  x 29 1/2  in.

Provenance

Almost certainly commissioned by, and perhaps in the collection of Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1642–1723), Palazzo Pitti, Florence.

Literature

Almost certainly the bozzetto noted in the following Literature:
B. de Dominici, Vite de’ pittori, scultori e d’architetti Napoletani, Naples 1742, pp. 406–07;
M. Chiarini, Artisti alla corte granducale, exh. cat., Florence 1969, p. 56;
M.Trkulja, ‘Lucas Giordano a Firenze’, in Paragone, no. 267, May 1972, pp. 36 and 59, and p. 52, note 52;
M. Chiarini, Gli Ultimi Medici, Il tardo barocco a Firenze, 1670–1743, exh. cat., Florence 1974, p. 256, under cat. no. 149;
O. Ferrari, Bozzetti Italiani dal Manierismo al Barocco, Naples 1990, pp. 49 and 152;
O. Ferrari and G. Scavizzi, Luca Giordano, L'opera completa, Naples 1992, vol. I, p. 306, under cat. no. A325, and p. 392 (under Opere non rintracciate).

Condition

The canvas has a firm relining, and has been recently cleaned and restored. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals that figures and drapery are well-preserved. Retouching is largely limited to two areas in the upper centre of the canvas, in the clouds and Minerva's cloak, but there is little other notable intervention. All of this has been carried out sensitively, without detracting from the legibility of the image, and the painting appears bright and fresh, without a need for any further work.
"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

This freely executed and hitherto untraced bozzetto is a preparatory sketch for a large signed canvas by Giordano painted for, and to this day hanging in, the Palazzo Pitti, Florence.1 Based on information from a friend of Giordano called Michele Troise, Bernardo de Dominici, in his Vite de’ pittori, scultori e d’architetti Napoletani of 1742, writes that Giordano was commissioned by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany to paint this subject for the apartments in the Palace. It is said that in the presence of the Grand Duke himself Giordano executed the sketch in just four hours, and that Cosimo III so loved it that he wanted it for himself.2 The sketch for this composition is thus much alluded to in the literature for the Pitti canvas, but until now its location has never been known. 1 See Ferrari and Scavizzi 1992, vol. I, p. 306, cat. no. A326, reproduced vol. II, p. 640, fig. 430.  
2 De Dominici 1742, pp. 406–07.