Antonio Joli and Studio
![Antonio Joli and Studio - Old Master Paintings Antonio Joli and Studio - Old Master Paintings](/fileadmin/lot-images/38A211110/normal/antonio-joli-und-werkstatt-7403005.jpg)
(Modena 1700–1777 Naples)
Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome, with Saint Peter’s Basilica beyond,
oil on canvas, 109 x 147 cm, framed
Provenance:
with Galleria Cesare Lampronti;
where acquired by the present owner
Exhibited:
London, Cesare Lampronti Gallery, Antonio Joli (c. 1700–1777): Views of Italy, 30 June – 29 July 2016, cat. no. 3 (as Antonio Joli and studio)
We are grateful to Ralph Toledano for suggesting the attribution and for his help in cataloguing this lot.
The present view of Rome unites the ancient and the modern, symbolically characterising the eternity of the city. Castel Sant’Angelo, an ancient mausoleum and prison which was later converted into a Papal residence, dominates the foreground on the righthand side. The tomb was erected in 123–139 AD by the Emperor Hadrian to function as a mausoleum for himself and members of his family then built in a suburban area, on the right bank of the Tiber. It is connected to the main city by Ponte Sant’Angelo which was later embelished by the group of sculptures devised by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680).
Over time the building underwent several changes to transform it from a mausoleum into a military fortress. Legend tells that the Archangel Michael stood atop the mausoleum sheathing a sword to mark the end of the plague in 590 AD, thereby lending the building its present name Castel Sant’Angelo, and gradually transferring the building’s control to the Papacy from between the tenth to the fifteenth century. Pope Clement VII Medici (1478–1534), took refuge in the Castello during the sack of Rome in 1572 where he fled from the Vatican via Il Passetto di Borgo, a fortified corridor leading to the Castel Sant’Angelo. The presence of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the present composition dominates the background, with the adjacent buildings of the Vatican to its right and the sixteenth century Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia to its left. The hill of the Gianicolo can be seen in the distance on the horizon beyond Saint Peter.
Although he is documented as being in Rome only between the years 1718 to 1725, Joli reused drawings from this period later in his career, carrying them with him around Europe. For this reason, Ralph Toledano dates the present painting to the years 1759–1760, and it should be considered be a product of this work process.
Joli repeated this design several times to satisfy the numerous commissions he received: the first version of this series was painted in London for Lord Irwin in 1744, during the artist’s stay in England (see R. Toledano, Antonio Joli: Modena 1700–1777 Napoli, Turin 2006, pp. 147-171 cat. nos. R. VIII.1-25). Although in each version of the composition the artist altered the sky and the arrangement of the figures, the appearance of the boatman ferrying two figures in the lower-centre seems to be a constant. In the present painting the sky is distinguished from the other existing versions by the warm pink light of sunrise, which permeates the clouds.
Specialist: Mark MacDonnell
Mark MacDonnell
+43 1 515 60 403
old.masters@dorotheum.com
10.11.2021 - 16:00
- Estimate:
-
EUR 250,000.- to EUR 300,000.-
Antonio Joli and Studio
(Modena 1700–1777 Naples)
Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome, with Saint Peter’s Basilica beyond,
oil on canvas, 109 x 147 cm, framed
Provenance:
with Galleria Cesare Lampronti;
where acquired by the present owner
Exhibited:
London, Cesare Lampronti Gallery, Antonio Joli (c. 1700–1777): Views of Italy, 30 June – 29 July 2016, cat. no. 3 (as Antonio Joli and studio)
We are grateful to Ralph Toledano for suggesting the attribution and for his help in cataloguing this lot.
The present view of Rome unites the ancient and the modern, symbolically characterising the eternity of the city. Castel Sant’Angelo, an ancient mausoleum and prison which was later converted into a Papal residence, dominates the foreground on the righthand side. The tomb was erected in 123–139 AD by the Emperor Hadrian to function as a mausoleum for himself and members of his family then built in a suburban area, on the right bank of the Tiber. It is connected to the main city by Ponte Sant’Angelo which was later embelished by the group of sculptures devised by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680).
Over time the building underwent several changes to transform it from a mausoleum into a military fortress. Legend tells that the Archangel Michael stood atop the mausoleum sheathing a sword to mark the end of the plague in 590 AD, thereby lending the building its present name Castel Sant’Angelo, and gradually transferring the building’s control to the Papacy from between the tenth to the fifteenth century. Pope Clement VII Medici (1478–1534), took refuge in the Castello during the sack of Rome in 1572 where he fled from the Vatican via Il Passetto di Borgo, a fortified corridor leading to the Castel Sant’Angelo. The presence of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the present composition dominates the background, with the adjacent buildings of the Vatican to its right and the sixteenth century Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia to its left. The hill of the Gianicolo can be seen in the distance on the horizon beyond Saint Peter.
Although he is documented as being in Rome only between the years 1718 to 1725, Joli reused drawings from this period later in his career, carrying them with him around Europe. For this reason, Ralph Toledano dates the present painting to the years 1759–1760, and it should be considered be a product of this work process.
Joli repeated this design several times to satisfy the numerous commissions he received: the first version of this series was painted in London for Lord Irwin in 1744, during the artist’s stay in England (see R. Toledano, Antonio Joli: Modena 1700–1777 Napoli, Turin 2006, pp. 147-171 cat. nos. R. VIII.1-25). Although in each version of the composition the artist altered the sky and the arrangement of the figures, the appearance of the boatman ferrying two figures in the lower-centre seems to be a constant. In the present painting the sky is distinguished from the other existing versions by the warm pink light of sunrise, which permeates the clouds.
Specialist: Mark MacDonnell
Mark MacDonnell
+43 1 515 60 403
old.masters@dorotheum.com
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Auction: | Old Master Paintings |
Auction type: | Saleroom auction with Live Bidding |
Date: | 10.11.2021 - 16:00 |
Location: | Vienna | Palais Dorotheum |
Exhibition: | 29.10. - 10.11.2021 |