(Genoa 1639–1709 Rome)
Portrait of a Lady in a red garment,
oil on canvas, 66,5 x 55 cm, framed

Provenance:
European private collection

We are grateful to Francesco Petrucci for confirming the attribution of the painting at hand (written communication).

The present, till now unpublished painting represents an important addition to the few known female portraits by this artist. Next to Voet, Morandi and Maratti, Gaulli was one of the leading portrait painters in Rome and Italy during the second half of the 17th century. The precise rendering of the foreshortened face, lively expression and radiant colouring, the relaxed brushwork in the detailing and gentle quality in the area around the neckline, as well as general Baroque splendour all substantiate this certain attribution. With regard to the sitter’s pose, the present painting can be compared to the Portrait of Eleonora Boncompagni Borghese (Uffizi, Florence). The unusual hairstyle of the sitter and painting’s smooth and compact workmanship allow it to be dated to ca.1690.

Half-length portraits of ladies in an oval setting, emulating the French example, had become fashionable in Italy from the middle of the 1660s onward. The present sitter is dressed in sumptuous clothes: a red, ermine-trimmed jacket, precious jewels set in a large gold pendant, a décoletée framed by pink and white ostrich feathers, with a brooch at the shoulder and pearls round the neck, as well as an elaborate and richly bejewelled hairstyle. This lady was in all probability of elevated rank.

Giovanni Battista Gaulli was a very versatile artist. Favoured by Bernini and fortunate enough to be under the protection of the pope, he dedicated himself to a variety of painting genres, exerting a significant influence on the development of painting throughout the 18th century. Gaulli depicted every pope from Alexander VII. to Clemens IX., as well as numerous cardinals and princes, depicting his subjects with a rare naturalism. He also created important frescoes in the Chiesa del Gesù and in SS. Apostoli in Rome, which would eventually become well-known throughout Europe.

Provenance:
European private collection

We are grateful to Francesco Petrucci for confirming the attribution of the painting at hand (written communication).

The present, to date unpublished painting represents an important addition to