FRANCESCO FURINI | Generosity or Liberality

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby’s, 23 June 1982, lot 61.

G. Cantelli, Repertorio della Pittura Fiorentina del Seicento, Florence 1983, p. 90;
G. Cantelli, Repertorio della Pittura Fiorentina del Seicento - Aggiornamento, Pisa 2009, vol. I, p. 114;
G. Cantelli, Francesco Furini e i Furiniani, Pisa 2010, p. 127, no 57, pl. 57, reproduced.

The canvas has been relined. The painted surface seems to be in a reasonably good condition, and is covered with a dense craquelure pattern. Some minor paint losses are visible around the edges, probably due to the framing. Some discolored retouching can be seen above the figure's right hand and in her body. We can see some thinness in her face, her hair, and in the background. Under UV light The varnish layer fluoresces in some parts showing the retouching as mentioned above, especially in the flesh tone, in the blue shawl and along the edges. Offered with a carved and giltwood frame. Please note that Sotheby's does not guarantee the condition of the 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. 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."

There is measure in all things¹: Furini choses Horace's maxim to evoke Generosity or Liberality. Personified as a nude woman, she leans upon the quotation from the Roman poet inscribed on a stone pedestal. Furini was inspired by the depiction of Generosity as defined by Cesare Ripa in his Iconology², who, in her right hand, 'holds strings of jewels and pearls, displaying them as if offering them as gifts.' Generosity forms part of a group of works by Furini in which he reinterprets the figure of Andromeda³: thus we also find her in his Temperance⁴ and his Allegory of Liberality⁵.

1. Horace, Satires, I. I., v. 106 (est modus in rebus).
2. C. Ripa, Iconologie, Paris, 1743, pp. 79-80, fig. LXVII.
3. Furini, Andromeda, around 1636, oil on canvas (131 x 101 cm), Hermitage, St Petersburg (inv. ГЭ-6715).
4. Oil on canvas, 130 x 71 cm, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico (inv. 66.0598).
5. Oil on canvas, 75 x 58 cm, Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest (inv. 215a).