(San Gimignano 1605–1660 Florence)
The Adoration of the Magi,
oil on canvas, 130 x 110 cm, framed

Provenance:
Aristocratic collection, Florence;
sale, Dorotheum, Vienna, 25 April 2017, lot 60 (as Felice Ficherelli);
where acquired by the present owner

Literature:
S. Benassai, Il collezionismo dei Bardi: nuove acquisizioni per Felice Ficherelli, in: Paragone 43, 2002, pp. 41-42, tav. 29;
S. Benassai, Su Felice Ficherelli juvenilia e altre novità, in: Paragone 77, 2008, p. 58, illustrated tav. 45;
F. Baldassari, La Pittura del Seicento a Firenze. Indice degli artisti e delle loro opere, Turin 2009, p. 361

We are grateful to Francesca Baldassari for confirming the attribution after examining the painting in the original and for her help in cataloguing this lot.

The sumptuous scene of the Adoration of the Magi was painted by Felice Ficherelli between the late 1620s and the early 1630s. A comparison must be made between the profiles and folded drapery in Ficherelli’s early work and those in Tobias restores his father's sight, in a private collection. The young man standing near Joseph can be regarded as a typical figure by Felice Ficherelli. The painting was most probably destined for a private collector: this is indicated by the luxurious frame which dates back to the same time period.

The religious moment takes place in a simple and tranquil setting. The richness of the gifts offered to the Child match the richness of the colours used in the painting: the yellow garment of the kneeling King, the ultramarine blue of Mary’s dress and the hose of the young King standing on the far right, wrapped in a precious purple cape in homage to Jacopo da Empoli and Cristofano Allori. The depiction of the Virgin’s profile makes a clear reference to the works of Andrea del Sarto well before Lorenzo Lippi, while the bearded face of the King in the foreground can be compared with his depiction in the works of Jacopo Vignali and his young disciple Carlo Dolci.

Thanks to the important biography dedicated by Filippo Baldinucci to Ficherelli, we know he left his native San Gimignano in the 1620s for Florence under the protection of the art collector and music enthusiast Alberto de’ Bardi from Vernio. Alberto de’ Bardi welcomed him to his palace in the Oltrarno area and entrusted him to Master Jacopo da Empoli, an artist who ran one of the most successful workshops in Florence. This apprenticeship was decisive and left lasting traces in the style of Ficherelli, as we can clearly see in the present Adoration. The artist went down in history under the nickname of ‘Riposo’ (Restful) for his easy-going and peaceful nature.