LOT DETAILS

Materials:

oil on canvas

Measurements:

96.46 in. (245.00 cm.) (height) by 76.18 in. (193.50 cm.) (width)

Condition:

The following condition report is provided by Henry Gentle who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: Andrea Sacchi Allegory of Rome Oil on canvas, in a period gilt wood frame with some losses. The original canvas is lined. The lining is recent, is stable and secure and provides good tension. Under u-v light a 20cm restored diagonal fracture is visible through the female figure's neck and there has been strengthening to her eyes , there is also a repaired jagged fracture to the river god's left shoulder. Further minor scattered loss can be detected across the surface, particularly along the bottom edge, across the lower section of red robe and down through the upturned urn. The restoration is not excessive but has discoloured. The paint layer, overall, is in a very good preserved state. The paint texture is in good original state and the bravura brushstrokes retain their vigour. Some of the more vulnerable glazing to the darker passages has been slightly compromised but subtle nuances remain and the colours retain their vibrancy. Removal of the dull discoloured varnish will improve the overall tonality. "This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Literature:

Cardinal Del Monte's postumous inventory drawn up in 1627, folio 576, verso, in which the present work is the only painting by Sacchi mentioned: ; Un quadro di una Roma di mano di Andrea Sacchi con cornice negre con un filetto d'oro di Palmi dodici in circa; ; Listed in the inventory drawn up on 3 June 1628 for Cardinal del Monte's second heir, Alessandro: Roma, figura intera con il Tevere Romolo Remolo [sic] putti con la lupa quadro grande con cornice un poco indorate, et negra di Andreuccio sacchi; ; C.L. Frommel, 'Caravaggios Frühwerk und der Karinal Francesco Maria del Monte', in Storia dell'Arte, 9/10, 1971, p. 31, folio 576v; ; A. Sutherland Harris, Andrea Sacchi, Oxford 1977, p. 38, under n. 7; ; R. Barbiellini Amidei in Andrea Sacchi, 1599–1661, exh. cat., Rome 1999, p. 35.

Provenance:

Commissioned in the first half of the 1620s by Cardinal Francesco Maria Bourbon Del Monte, Rome (1549–1626); ; By descent to his heirs; ; Private collection, France.