Gregorio de Ferrari Porto Maurizio, Imperia 1647 - 1726 Genoa

The painting is slightly lighter and more colourful, less brown in tone, than it appears in the catalogue illustration. The canvas has an old relining which still holds well. There is a vertical canvas join running just to the left of Mucius' shoulder. The painting has been quite recently cleaned and the varnish is clear and even. The paint surface is in wonderful condition, retaining all of its freshness and impasto (in particular on Mucius' armour). Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals only retouchings along or around the edges and peripheral areas, lower left and lower right, and a few other minor scattered repaired holes and retouchings. The main area of damage (3 by 8 cm.) occurs above the crowned head of the man on the right but this is near the edge and not obvious to the naked eye. The painting appears in excellent condition and can be hung as it is. The black and gold painted wood frame, with outer moulding, has a few chips but is generally sound. (nb: The catalogue illustration only illustrates the inner sight of the frame).
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

We are grateful to Dr. Mary Newcome Schleier for endorsing the attribution to Gregorio de Ferrari on the basis of photographs and for proposing a date of execution after 1700. The animated brushwork and angular composition are typical of De Ferrari's maturity when his work takes on a distinctly baroque flavour. 

The subject is unique in Ferrari's oeuvre. Caius Mucius, a Roman nobleman, penetrated the Etruscan lines meaning to kill their leader Lars Porsena. Instead he killed his secretary, seated beside him. Mucius was seized by the Etruscans and Ferrari depicts him thrusting his right hand into the flames of an altar fire, leaving it to burn, and therefore demonstrating how cheaply he held his life. Porsena, stunned by his bravery and endurance, set him free, and he was thenceforward known as 'Scaevola', meaning 'left-handed'.