NICOLAS TOURNIER | Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a pottage of lentils

Turin, Esposizione Nazionale di Belli Arti, 1880 (as Italian School; according to an old label on the reverse).

The canvas has a firm relining that has slightly flattened the paint surface. The varnish appears thick and somewhat uneven, and a little discoloured. There are no major damages visible to the naked eye bar a very slight degree of wear in some areas and a distinctive craquelure in the hand and right cuff of Jacob. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals scattered small restored damages and retouchings throughout - they are mostly minor and of a seemingly cosmetic nature. The main concentration of the retouchings is in the forearm and hand of Jacob, in his face, and in an area of shadow under Esau's outstretched arm. The most significant of the restored damages is what appears to be an old tear at the right margin in the background - 5 inches horizontally then another 5 inches vertically. In fair overall condition for a canvas of this size and offered in a carved and gilt wood frame in 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Nicolas Tournier was one of the leading French followers of Caravaggio, whose paintings he would have studied in person during his stay in Rome between approximately 1615 and 1626. The present work was probably painted early on his stay in Rome, as suggested by Dottor Gianni Papi, who endorses the attribution to Tournier. Papi draws direct parallels between the present work and the Hypocrite, another early work by Tournier in the Uffizi, Florence.¹ The mise-en-scène of the two designs is analogous: the figure to the right is bathed in light and faces the other figure to the left, whose body and face are mostly in shadow; the figure to the left extends his arm towards the other protagonist. Jacob's yellow clothing finds close parallels with the gambler to the far right in Tournier's Denial of Peter, in Atlanta.² X-ray imaging (fig. 1) reveals various pentimenti: Jacob's left index finger was once straight; his hair was more coiffed, and may have been under some sort of headgear; the placement of Esau's extended arm was changed, while the sling around his chest was added later by the artist.

1 Nicolas Tournier, Un peintre caravaggesque, 1590–1639, exh. cat., Toulouse 2001, pp. 86–87, cat. no. 4, reproduced in colour.
2 Toulouse 2001, pp. 104–06, cat. no. 12, reproduced in colour.