Lorenzo Lippi

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The canvas is lined and the paint surface is raised but stable, with some minor flaking to the sitter's nose. Under a very degraded varnish can be seen discoloured retouchings to the background, to the upper left section and edge, to the right hand edge and lower right section and along the bottom edge. Small paint losses to the tunic have been retouched out and also to the hair and face, particularly the shadow of the sitter's left cheek, and between the neck and the collar, and the sketchiness of the collar has been reduced. Reading this list may give the impression of a painting that is extremely damaged, not so , there are passages that are in good preserved condition. Offered in a moulded gilt wood frame, some chips."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

The attribution to Lorenzo Lippi has been independently endorsed by Dott. Sandro Bellesi and Dott.ssa Francesca Baldassari, to whom we are extremely grateful.

The painting is likely to be a youthful work by Lorenzo Lippi and the broad brushstrokes and soft modelling of the sitter's features using light and shade are characteristic of Lippi's work circa 1640. The present lot can be compared stylistically with both his Portrait of a boy, bust-length, with a white collar which was offered New York, Christie's, 7 June 2002, lot 33 and his Head of Saint John the Baptist, dated 1638, in a private collection in Florence.¹

Dott. Bellesi has pointed out the existence of another version of this composition, of inferior quality and therefore probably from Lippi's studio, which has recently appeared on the italian art market.

 

1. For which see C. d'Afflitto, Lorenzo Lippi, Florence 2002, p. 207, cat. no. 36, reproduced in colour p. 57.