(Coldrerio 1612–1666 Rome)
The Adoration of the Shepherds,
oil on canvas, 48.5 x 65 cm, framed

We are grateful to Francesco Petrucci for suggesting the attribution and for his help in cataloguing this lot.

Petrucci dates the present painting to the earliest phase of Mola’s artistic production, probably during, or soon after, his sojourn in Coldrerio in 1641 to 1642. Indeed, the farmhouse in the background of the present painting is notable as classical architecture appear in the background of Mola’s Roman works from the late 1640s onwards. Also confirming the early date of this painting is the lack of Guercino’s influence, which becomes evident in Mola’s work after he entered in the master’s studio between 1644 and 1646.

The present work can be compared to the Adoration of the Shepherds in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, (inv. no. 9117) which depicts similar types for the Mother and Child as in the present painting. The ochre coloured trees with slender branches in the background similar to those in the Rape of Europa in the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Schleissheim (inv. no. 924). The features of the Madonna are the exact reverse of those in a drawing in the Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, Rome (see fig. 1; see A. G. De Marchi, Mola: il disegno e la pittura; psicologia e filologia a confronto, Milan 2013, fig. 113).

Born in the Ticino, but Roman by adoption, Pier Francesco Mola trained with Cavalier d’Arpino (1568–1640). He travelled extensively to complete his training in Bologna and Venice where he collaborated in the studios of Francesco Albani and Guercino. In 1649 he settled in Rome, where he received commissions from various papal families including the Pamphilij and the Chigi. He gained the protection of Queen Cristina of Sweden.