Jusepe de Ribera, called Lo Spagnoletto

Frederick J. Schwartz, Munich, 1982;

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby’s, 14 October 1999, lot 126 (as Circle of Jusepe de Ribera);

Where acquired by Stanley Moss.

N. Spinosa, Ribera, Naples 2003, p. 314, under cat. no. A212 (as a workshop replica of the Bayonne painting);

N. Spinosa, Ribera: L'opera completa, Naples 2006, p. 343, under cat. no. A233 (as a workshop replica of the Bayonne painting).

This depiction of a distressed woman is an excellent example of Jusepe de Ribera’s frank and realistic examination of emotion and narrative in painting, an approach of which he was an important innovator. Before its cleaning a decade ago, the present canvas was considered a studio replica of a prime version of the composition, signed and dated 1638, now in the Musée Bonnat (inv. 21). The two paintings correspond closely, although the Bayonne version is larger and allows more space around the figure. Following restoration, however, Nicola Spinosa — whose earlier assessment had been based solely on photographs — examined the painting firsthand and concluded that it is an autograph replica by Ribera himself, likewise dating from the late 1630s.

This image is among the most striking and modern in Ribera’s oeuvre. A woman is shown half-length, wearing a bright white mantle over a dark dress. She turns toward the viewer, tearing at her hair; her mouth is open in grief, and her face is streaked with tears and traces of blood. The image possesses remarkable emotional force, even if the precise subject remains unresolved. It has sometimes been identified as a depiction of Tamar, daughter of King David, who was sexually assaulted by her half-brother (2 Samuel 13:14–19). Representations of Tamar are exceptionally rare in art, and Ribera provides little to confirm the identification, although certain details correspond to the biblical narrative. It is equally possible, however, that Ribera intended the work as a broader meditation on grief and despair as elements of the human condition.

We are grateful to Prof. Nicola Spinosa who has recently reconfirmed his opinion that the present work is an autograph replica by Ribera.