Attributed to Giovanni Battista Naldini

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 1 November 1991, lot 22 (as circle of Orazio Samacchini);

Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Lady'), London, Sotheby's, 8 July 2004, lot 149 (as attributed to Prospero Fontana);

Where acquired by the present owner.

Since it’s last re-appearance on the market, this charming and delicately executed work has been associated with the Florentine artist Giovanni Battista Naldini. Bearing the character of his unique Mannerist style inherited from his master Jacopo Pontormo (1494–1557) and influenced by his contemporary and collaborator Giorgio Vasari (1511–1574), this composition is brought to life by a vibrant palette and free handling of paint exemplifying his skill as an accomplished colourist.

Born in Fiesole around 1537, Naldini entered the workshop of Jacopo Pontormo in 1549. He later moved to Rome, forging his own highly individual style, studying the later works of Raphael. He returned to Florence in 1562, where he was recruited by Vasari to work on the decoration of the main rooms of the Palazzo Vecchio. He is perhaps best-known today for his participation alongside other leading Florentine painters of the day in the ground breaking decorative scheme from 1570–72 for the studiolo of Francesco I de' Medici (1541–1587), Grand Duke of Tuscany, hailed as the pinnacle of Florentine late Mannerist painting.