Luca Giordano

Luca Giordano (Naples 1634–1705) Rest on the Flight into Egypt with Putti, oil on canvas, 117 x 160.5 cm, framed Provenance: David Goldmann; compulsory sale of the complete inventory and furnishings of Hermann Göring-Platz 14, Vienna IX, 23 August 1939, lot 22, Dorotheum Vienna; Austrian private collection (The auction takes place in agreement with David Goldmann‘s heirs and as the result of a settlement deal.) We are grateful to Professor Giuseppe Scavizzi for confirming the attribution on the basis of a digital photograph. Luca Giordano repeatedly dealt with the subject of rest on the flight into Egypt, with each version varying in composition and style in accordance with the wishes of the particular commission. In the present work the Christ Child is surrounded by a group of six cherubs at play. Water and vegetation, and the sunset on the left, create a bucolic atmosphere. A similar version with only minimal differences was offered at Sotheby’’’’s London in 1997 (3 December 1997, lot 46) and later published (see Ferrari-Scavizzi, Luca Giordano. Nuove ricerche e inediti, 2003, A0156, p. 73., ill. p. 182). Professor Scavizzi dates both this and the present work to around 1685. A further variation on the subject of the rest on the flight into Egypt was offered at Sotheby’’’’s, New York on 29 January 2013 (Estate of Giancarlo Baroni, lot 9).

Lot Description Luca Giordano (Naples 1634-1705) The Song of Miriam; and The Departure of Rebecca oil on canvas 61 5/8 x 92 in. (156.6 x 233.7 cm.) a pair (2) Provenance (Possibly) George James Welbore Agar-Ellis, 1st Baron Dover (1797-1833), and by descent to his son Henry Agar-Ellis, 3rd Viscount Clifden (1825-1866). with Thomas Agnew and Sons, London, 1936, where acquired by Captain Napier George Henry Sturt, 3rd Baron Alington (1896-1940), thence by descent. Pre-Lot Text From an Important Private European Collection Literature O. Ferrari and G. Scavizzi, Luca Giordano: Nuove ricerche e inediti, Naples, 2003, pp. 76 and 188, no. A0179. Exhibited Naples, Castel Sant'Elmo and Museo di Capodimonte; Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum; and Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum, Luca Giordano 1634-1705, 3 March 2001-20 January 2002, nos. 97a and 97b. View Lot Notes › EXHIBITED FOR THE FIRST TIME in Naples in 2001, this pairof paintings were described by Nicola Spinosa as 'le sole repliche sicuramente di mano del Giordano delle distrutte tele dell'Annunziata' (op. cit.). The decoration of the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata Maggiore in Naples, commonly known as the Annunziata, was executed in 1687, but destroyed along with most of the church by a fierce fire in 1757. The church was part of a monumental complex that also included a hospital, a convent and an orphanage. (The location of the 'wheel' where mothers could abandon their offspring -- because of their illegitimate birth or simply out of poverty -- still exists.) After the fire, the church was rebuilt and enlarged under the supervision of Luigi Vanvitelli, and completed by his son Carlo. It is fortunate that the lost paintings were very thoroughly described by the 'Neapolitan Vasari', Bernardo de Dominici, who judged these Old Testament scenes 'bellissime'. The scenes of The Song of Miriam and The Departure of Rebecca from the original decorative scheme must have been particularly highly admired, as the numerous copies and versions attest. The present pictures are considered closest to those made for the Annunziata, both chronologically and compositionally. Giuseppe Scavizzi (op. cit.) proposes a date for this pair very near 1687, noting the close stylistic proximity to Giordano's Florentine period, recalling the exuberance of his decoration painted for the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. Spinosa, writing in the exhibition catalogue (op. cit.), suggested a similar date, not excluding the possibility that they could also have been painted later, circa 1700. Another version of the two compositions, which is more simplified, smaller (59 x 84 cm.) and on copper, is also considered autograph (formerly in the Alcázar, now in the Prado, Madrid; inventory nos. 157 and 159), and before the rediscovery of the present canvases was regarded as the closest testimony of the composition of the lost decoration of the Annunziata (O. Ferrari and G. Scavizzi, Luca Giordano: L'opera Completa, I, Naples, 1992, p. 320, A424). These were also exhibited in 2001-2002 (op. cit., p. 300, nos. 97c and 97d) alongside the present pair. Other paintings testify to the success of Giordano's inventions, among them two versions of a later date of The Departure of Rebecca respectively in the Pinacoteca Provinciale in Bari and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. A version, also later, of The Song of Miriam is in the Bob Jones University, Greenville, and has variously been considered as either a modello for the Annunziata, a preparatory sketch for the frescoes in the Escorial, or an autograph replica painted after the artist's years in Spain (Ferrari and Scavizzi, op. cit., 1992, p. 359, no. A719). Studio versions of lesser quality have appeared on the market, and other paintings of the same subjects are listed in old inventories and are now considered lost. Possibly of similar composition were the frescoes in the church of Nuestra Señora de Atocha in Madrid, destroyed at the end of the nineteenth century, but described by Don Acislo Antonio y Velasco Palomino in his turn, the 'Vasari of Spain', 'con diferentes figuras y bestia de carga; todo ejecutado con singular acierto, y proprietad' (quoted in Ferrari and Scavizzi, op. cit., 1992, p. 359, no. B22). The Song of Miriam illustrates the moment in which the prophetess and sister of Moses raises a paean after the drowning of the Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea: 'Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea' (Exodus 15:20-21). The Departure of Rebecca portrays the sister of Laban leaving her family to join Abraham's son Isaac, whom she will marry. Both of these Old Testament subjects provided Giordano with a pretext to produce 'una versione barocca di composizioni bassanesche', rich with anecdotes and filled with figures and animals (Ferrari and Scavizzi, op. cit., I, 1992, p. 107). Over the course of his long career, Giordano absorbed and reworked the influences of the important painters he admired from his early travels: Ribera and Rubens, Pietro da Cortona, Titian, Veronese and others. Much like the Carracci before him, Giordano adapted his style to suit the subject matter and the requirements of the commission. Nicknamed Fa Presto ('does it quickly'), Giordano ran a large and highly productive workshop, responding to a prodigious demand for his work. The master invented sophisticated compositions and executed them in his customary rapid and exuberant style; alongside this numerous assistants reworked, developed and replicated his ideas and designs. The number of painters active in his bottega varied on the basis of the commissions he had to fulfill. It was nevertheless always very crowded, 'dappoiché furono essi infiniti' (De Dominici, as quoted in Ferrari and Scavizzi, op. cit., I, 1992, p. 187), yet none of his pupils could quite match his technical and creative genius. Not only did Giordano assist his pupils when they were painting versions and copies, he would also at times allow pictures of lesser quality to leave his workshop as autograph if the patron was willing to accept them. The complex practices of Giordano's studio can make it difficult to establish the extent of studio participation in some cases. However, the high level of finish in the present pictures would indicate that the master's involvement in them was substantial.

Luca Giordano, Fa Presto (Naples 1634-1705) The Sacrifice of Isaac; and The Sacrifices of Abel and Cain the first signed 'Jordanus F.' (lower right); the second signed 'Jordanus F.' (lower center, on the rock) oil on canvas each 41 x 29 7/8 in. (104.1 x 75.8 cm.) a pair (2) (Possibly) Francesco Montecorvino collection, Naples, 1698. Anonymous sale; Christie's, New York, 21 May 1992, lot 54 ($82,500 to the present owner). PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN (Possibly) G. Labrot, Collections of Paintings in Naples, 1600-1780, Munich, 1992, p. 185. (Possibly) O. Ferrari and G. Scavizzi, Luca Giordano: L'opera completa, Naples, 2000, I, p. 397. These impressive canvases, which depict two famous sacrificial episodes from the Old Testament, are excellent examples of Luca Giordano's dramatic style. The sacrifices of Cain and Abel are described in Genesis and depicted in the first canvas. Cain, a farmer, brings an offering of fruit and grain as a sacrifice to the Lord. Abel, a shepherd, brings 'fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock' (Genesis 4:4). Displeased with Cain's offering, which Giordano has painted in the lower right corner, smoldering rather pathetically, God looks favorably only upon Abel's sacrifice, here engulfed in flames. The penitent Abel, bathed in light, kneels and prays, while Cain, depicted in the shadowy left of the composition, cowers from the blaze in fear and disappointment. God's rejection of Cain instills in him a burning jealously that eventually compels him to commit the first fratricide. The Sacrifice of Isaac is related nearly twenty generations later in the book of Genesis. Instructed by God to kill his only son as a gesture of his faith, Abraham ascends Mount Moriah and prepares to execute his task. At the crucial moment, however, an angel -- sent by the God who looks over the scene from the upper left corner -- stays his hand, saying, 'Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither thou do any thing unto him; for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man, seeing thou has not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me' (Genesis 22:12). Giordano has captured the climactic event masterfully, evoking both the angel's gentleness and grace (he restrains Abraham with the slightest touch of his hand) and the red-faced fury of the prophet, who has fallen back in surprise at the angel's words but still grips the knife with the full physical force of his being. Isaac cowers in fear below his father and, in the lower right corner, Abraham's servants rest peacefully, unaware of the momentous event unfolding behind them. Born in Naples in 1634, Giordano's first documented work dates to 1653. He is recorded as a member of the Neapolitan painters' confraternity in 1665 and worked extensively for patrons in Naples throughout his life. Giordano's art was also in demand in Venice, where he worked in Santa Maria della Salute, as well as in Florence, where he won the commission to decorate the library and gallery of the Palazzo Medici-Ricardi, completed in the mid-1680s. Eventually he was even summoned to Spain, where he was appointed court painter to Charles II in 1694. Giordano's ability to satisfy the overwhelming demand for his art can be accounted for, in part, by his legendary speed of execution. The rapid, fluid brushstrokes that are a hallmark of his style are evident in the present works. Due to his fame and popularity, Giordano's workshop grew to be very large, and he is thought to have had about thirty assistants working under his guidance. He was so successful, in fact, that when he died in 1705, his son inherited the enormous sum of 300,000 ducats.

Luca Giordano (Naples 1634 - 1705) Aristotle, oil on canvas, 105 x 91 cm, framed Certificate: Professor Nicola Spinosa The present painting, together with the painting of Democritus (see following lot 452), most probably once formed part of a now-lost series of portraits of antique philosophers. It was ordinary and mostly old-aged citizens of Naples, then under Spanish rule, who posed as models for such series, bearded and impoverished marginal figures whose garments and postures were reminiscent of beggars and whose facial features were marked by constant hardship and pain. The philosophers in the paintings can mostly be recognized by the objects accompanying them, even if this may frequently prove to be a difficult endeavour: globes, compasses, maps, scrolls bearing diverse inscriptions, geometric drawings, hourglasses, or alchemical vials. The philosopher depicted here may be identified through the inscription in capitals in the book he holds in his left hand, while he points at it with his right hand (IL SAPERE NELLE AVERSITA’’ ’’ E’’’’ REFUGIO; NELLE PROS/PERITA’’’’ ORNAM/ENTO – Knowledge is a refuge in bad times and an ornament in good times): it is the famous Aristotle, who lived in Greece between 384 and 322 B.C. We know of many depictions of philosophers by painters such as Jusepe de Ribera who were active and Rome and Naples and were affiliated with circles of intellectuals and patrons that felt inclined towards “New Stoicism”. Like the portrait of Democritus, the present painting is also a work by the young Luca Giordano, who probably painted it between 1650 and 1653; during that very phase, the artist imitated the motifs and naturalistic manner of painting that had been typical of Ribera’’’’s style during the 1630s. However, the rendering of emotions and expressions is accompanied by a more amiable communicativeness that has not least been achieved through the use of warmer colours and a brighter treatment of light, the stark contrasts of the chiaroscuro having been subdued. Numerous paintings of philosophers or apostles painted by Giordano during those years attest to the Neapolitan painter’’’’s penchant in this early phase of his long career to rely on Ribera’’’’s example. He frequently used the same model for several pictures, which also applies to the present examples, only employing the warm, shining hues of a “neo-Venetian” origin to achieve some modulation. Giordano continued to produce similar paintings until the early 1660s, thereby meeting a rising demand. We would like to point out here three works from this group that bear specific resemblances to the present painting: an Unidentified Philosopher in Venice, the Pinacoteca of the Fondazione Querini Stampalia; Archimedes in Berlin, the Picture Gallery, and the Portrait of a Philosopher in Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (see O. Ferrari and G. Scavizzi, Luca Giordano, Electa, Naples 2000, fig. 88, no. A23; fig. 94, no. A26b; pl. 1, fig. 96, no. A29). These works share with the present unpublished Aristotle the building of forms and volumes through a thick and solid application of the paint, as well as an unusual tendency to perceive and render the sitters’’’’ most intimate and profoundly human nature. We are extremely grateful to Professor Nicola Spinosa for confirming the attribution of the present painting after examination in the original of for his assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.

Auktion A158 Lot 3081 - 23 September 2011 15:00 * GIORDANO, LUCA (1632 Naples 1705) Portrait of a philosopher. Oil on canvas. 125 x 97 cm. Our thanks to Professor Nicola Spinosa for confirming the authenticity of this work on the basis of a photograph. CHF 60 000.- / 90 000.- € 52 170.- / 78 260.- * GIORDANO, LUCA (1632 Neapel 1705) Bildnis eines Philosophen. Öl auf Leinwand. 125 x 97 cm. Wir danken Professor Nicola Spinosa für seine Bestätigung der Eigenhändigkeit anhand einer Fotografie. Eine Variante dieses Gemäldes befindet sich in einer Privatsammlung in Padua (siehe Ferrari, O. / Scavizzi, G.: Luca Giordano, l'opera completa, Neapel 1992, Band I, S.254, Nr. 23.C und Band II, S. 473, Abb. 89). CHF 60 000.- / 90 000.- € 52 170.- / 78 260.-