JOHANN WENZEL PETER | The Four Doves, after the mosaïc from the Villa Hadriana, Tivoli

Private collection Giorgio Sangiorgi.

A l'œil nu : Le tableau est toujours sur sa toile d'origine. Au dos on remarque une couture de 12 x 15 cm très probablement due à un ancien accident. On remarque une restauration très ancienne au niveau de la couture dans le dos. On remarque des repeints dans les fonds verts. On remarque de très petits manques de matière épars (de la taille d'une tête d'épingle). Les repeints débordants qui apparaissaient dans l'illustration du catalogue ont été depuis allégés. On remarque une restauration dans la coupe près de l'anse droite et dans la queue de la colombe de droite. A la lampe U.V. : Le tableau apparaît sous un vernis vert. On remarque des retouches déjà mentionnées ainsi que deux autres plus larges près du coin supérieur gauche ainsi que quelques retourches dans les fonds et dans le premier plan. Vendu dans un cadre en bois doré (bon état). To the naked eye : The painting is still on its original canvas. We can notice on the back a seam of 12 x 15 cm due to an old tear probably. We can notice a very old restoration corresponding to the seam on the back. We notice several restorations on the green background and very tiny losses (pinhead size) scattered all over the composition. The overflowing repaints that are visible on the catalogue illustration has been since lightened. We can notice a restoration in the bowl near the right handle and in the tail of the dove of the right. Under U.V. light: The varnish fluoresces largely. We can notice the restorations mentioned above as well as two larger ones near the top left corner and a few in the background and foreground. Offered with a goldpainted wooden frame (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."

Born in 1745 in Carlsbad, in the present-day Czech Republic, Wenzel (or Wenceslaus) Peter emigrated to Rome in 1774, where he worked as an animalier, first as a sculptor and then as a painter. Later, he was elected Professore of the Accademia di San Luca in 1812 thanks to his reputation and to the important patrons for whom he worked. Adam and Eve in the earthly paradise remains his best-known work, a masterpiece acquired by Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) after the artist's death and since part of the Vatican collections.[1] The present painting is characteristic of the artist's work in terms of its subject matter, with the originality of being directly inspired by the Roman model kept in the Capitoline Museums. The quotation is in fact even more obvious when viewed alongside the so-called Mosaic of the Doves (fig. 1) acquired during the papacy of Clement XII (1758-1769) and originally from the Villa Adriana (Tivoli). The mosaic is itself a copy after an original from Pergamon made during the 2nd century BC, attributed by Pliny the Elder to a certain Sôsos of Pergamon[2]. Compared to his antique model, Wenzel Peter has, however, corrected a few clumsy passages that must have disturbed him, such as the perspective. He also rendered the copper in a more realistic manner, and covered the lovely doves in especially glistening colours.

[1] Oil on canvas, 336 x 247 cm, Rome, Pinacoteca Vaticana, inv. 41266.
[2] Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, XXXVI, 60.