Flaminio Torri

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 picture has clearly not been restored for a long time. The canvas has a very old glue lining which is maintaining a stable paint layer but which is quite lumpy, and a new lining would relax and even out the surface noticeably. The paint layer itself is extremely dirty but it does not appear to have discolored or damaged in any way, and a full cleaning would produce extremely good results. The likelihood of any retouches of consequence being removed or needing to be applied is very slim. There is a small horizontal scratch in the shadow side of the waist of the angel. There are most likely a few retouches around the edges over however, this picture is in excellent condition.
"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."

Flaminio Torri, a native of Bologna, first studied under Giacomo Cavedoni (1577-1660) and then worked as a pupil of Simone Cantarini (1612-1648), whose workshop he took over upon the latter's death in 1648. Torri's oeuvre, and in particular his early paintings, so clearly reflects the heritage of Cantarini that some of his works, such as the Adoration of the Magi in the Convent of San Giuseppe in Bologna, have in the past been wrongly attributed to the older master. In 1658 Torri was called to Modena by Alfonso IV to supervise the decoration of the Galleria Estense and was there influenced by the more monumental naturalism of Mattia Preti (1613-1699) who had worked in the city in the early 1650s.

Although certain elements of this charming Annunciation derive from Cantarini, such as the vibrant colouring and the facial type of the Madonna, the overriding impact is symptomatic of Torri's quite distinctive and individual style.We can specifically compare the handling of Gabriel's brilliant white drapery, the distinctive diagonal hatched brushstrokes and the heads of the putti on the left with similar elements in the artist's Saint Anthony of Padua with the Christ Child in the Chiesa dell'Osservanza in Imola.¹ The physiognomy and pose of the Madonna can be closely compared to two other paintings of the Madonna by Torri, both in private collections.²

We are grateful to Prof. Andrea Emiliani for endorsing the attribution to Torri on the basis of photographs. Prof. Emiliani has described the painting as "un vero piccolo capolavoro del Torri."³

 

1.  See E. Negro and M. Pirondini, La Scuola di Guido Reni, Modena 1992, p. 406, cat., no., 388, reproduced in colour p. 408.
2.  See E. Negro and M. Pirondini, op. cit., p. 405, cat. no. 385 and A. Cura, La pittura emiliana del'600, Milan 1982, cat. no. 10, both reproduced.
3.  Correspondence dated 22 October 2008.