Guido Reni

Sir Charles Robinson (1828-1913), 16 Pelham Crescent, London, (Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures) from whom purchased in 1892 by;
Sir Francis Cook, 1st Bt., (1817-1901), Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey and thence by descent in the Cook family to Sir Francis Cook, 4th Bt. (1898-1969), Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey;
His Sale, London, Sotheby's, June 25, 1958, lot 26, to Welker;
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, June 3, 1988, lot 75, there purchased by;
Dr. Hiroshi Ishizuka, Tokyo;
With Hall and Knight, New York and London, 2001, from whom acquired by the present collector.

 

New York, Matthiesen Fine Arts, at Newhouse Galleries, Paintings from Emilia 1500-1700, 11 March- 16 April, 1987, pp. 80-81, cat. no. 21, reproduced in color, pl. 21.

T. Borenius, Catalogue of the Paintings at Doughty House, Richmon, Surrey, in the Collection of Sir Frederick Cook, Bt., London 1913, p. 102, no. 88, reproduced;
M.W, Brockwell, Abridged catalogue of the pictures at Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey, in the collection of Sir Herbert Cook, Bart., London 1932, p. 34;
P. della Pergola, "Reni, Guido", in U. Thieme and F. Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler, Leipzig, 1934, XXVIII, p. 164, as by Guido Reni;
E. Baccheschi, L'opera completa di Guido Reni, Milan 1971, pp. 111-112, under. cat. no. 187;
S. Pepper, Guido Reni, New York 1984, p. 249, under no. 95, studio variant A10;
S. Pepper, Guido Reni, 1988 (2nd Italian edition), p. 342, no. 54, reproduced pl. 40.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has recently been restored, although the lining is older. The paint layer stable and is clean and varnished. No noticeable abrasion has occurred. There is most likely some slight discoloration to the blue garment, but this is a good opportunity to see a good picture from this period with a healthy paint layer. There are a few restorations visible on the right and left edge. In the face itself hardly any retouches have occurred, except in the beard where there are some spots of thinness that have been reduced and in the blue garment in the lower left where there are also a few small retouches. Overall, the condition is good and the restoration is sufficient.
"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."

This touching image of the Penitent Saint Peter dates from late in Reni's career, and is one of a number of treatments such subjects by the artist.  Bust length devotional images had become popular amongst collectors both in Bologna and further afield, and Reni produced a number of such paintings, of various Saints, heads of Christ and the like to fulfill the demand.

The present Saint Peter is one of a few treatments of the theme.  The most famous is probably the canvas in the collection of the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.  That painting depicts the saint also in tears, but is rather different than this version; Peter is shown much more full face, and his hair is darker and wilder, although he also wrings his hands in angst.  Closer in composition is a painting in the Palazzo Doria-Pamphilij, Rome.  In fact, Stephen Pepper when writing his monograph on Reni in 1984, listed the present painting as a studio variant of the Doria Peter, knowing it only from a photograph.  However, after seeing the painting firsthand afterwards, he reversed his earlier opinion, and accepted the picture as a fully autograph work.  In the 1987 exhibition catalogue, when the painting was with Matthiesen (see Exhibited), he wrote that he considered the picture to be "the most important in composition of several late examples of Reni's treatment of the subject, all of which were painted during the last five years of his life...".   In his subsequent revision of his catalogue, he published the picture as autograph, dating it to 1638-9. 

The lively handling and loose brushwork exhibited in the present Saint Peter seems to be consistent with his paintings of this type; the treatment of the head and hair are very fine, while areas such as parts of the hand suggest some studio participation, entirely consistent with Reni's practice at this moment in his career.