Master Paintings
Master Paintings
Property from a Distinguished Private Collection
Simone Cantarini, called Pesarese
Saint John the Evangelist
Auction Closed
May 20, 03:42 PM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Distinguished Private Collection
Simone Cantarini, called Pesarese
Pesaro 1612 - 1648 Verona
Saint John the Evangelist
oil on copper
unframed: 16 by 12 in.; 50.6 by 30.5 cm.
framed: 20 ¼ by 16 ¼ in.; 51.4 by 41.3 cm.
By whom sold, New York, Sotheby's, 7 April 1988, lot 188;
There acquired by private collector;
By whom sold, New York, Sotheby's, 5 October 2001, lot 62;
There acquired by the present collector.
Cantarini was arguably Guido Reni's most gifted pupil, but he was also his most irascible. He left Pesaro for Bologna in 1635 with the specific intention of meeting Reni, whose works he had admired in the Marches, and indeed he was soon to be apprenticed in the master's workshop. By 1637, however, Cantarini had been forced to leave Bologna following an acrimonious split with Reni due, if one is to believe the biographer Malvasia, to Cantarini's petulant character. It was only after Reni's death in 1642 that Cantarini returned to Bologna, setting up his own independent studio there. Despite their personal differences, Reni was undoubtedly the single over-riding influence in Cantarini's work throughout his artistic career. It was only after his return to Pesaro that Cantarini sought inspiration from other painters such as Pier Francesco Mola and Pietro Testa, both of whose influences can be detected here.
When last sold (see Provenance), Dott. Mario Mancigotti endorsed the attribution to Cantarini.