(Belluno 1659–1734 Venice)
The Sacrifice of Iphigenia,
signed lower right: Ricci S. e.,
oil on canvas, 57 x 49 cm, framed

Provenance:
Jean Francois de Vinck de Westwezel (1747–1811) collection, Antwerp;
his sale, Artaria & Co, Vienna, 27 April 1813, lot 40 and 41;
there acquired by the family of the present owner,
thence by descent, private collection, Belgium

The present beautifully executed canvas is a work by Sebastiano Ricci, signed by the artist. The picture appears not to have been previously published, and as such, it is a significant addition to the oeuvre of Sebastiano Ricci, the great innovator of Venetian painting in the early eighteenth century. Both its small size and the lively, open brushwork indicate that this picture was a modelletto, most probably presented to a client for approval.

At present, nothing is known about who commissioned the present painting. Its vivid chromatic quality and elaborate architectonical background would seem to indicate a date in the late maturity of the painter, probably the late 1720s, when the artist’s fame stood at a high point, as is evident from his many commissions, both in and outside Italy.

The picture was evidently meant as a pendant to lot 121 and this would also be reflected in the subject matter. In fact, both scenes are centered around an altar. The present picture shows the Sacrifice of Iphigenia, as described by Ovid, in the Metamorphoses (XII, 25-28), with Diana appearing in the clouds with a stag, which was to be sacrificed instead of Agamemnon’s daughter. This dramatic theme was popular among Venetian history painters in the early settecento, with examples by Giambattista Crosato, Giambattista Pittoni and Giambattista Tiepolo, among others. The present modelletto is an important example of Sebastiano Ricci’s late style.

We are grateful to Bernard Aikema for his assistance in cataloguing the present painting.