Pier Francesco Mola

Anonymous sale, Stockholm, Stockholms Auktionsverk, 29 November 2007, lot 2441, (as 'Attributed to Pier Francesco Mola').

The canvas has an old relining and has been reattached to its original stretcher. The paint surface is secure, retaining much of its original impasto, and under an old dirty varnish. There is a vertical surface scratch of approx 10 cm along the upper right edge. There is some minor frame abrasion along the left edge and a few tiny scattered paint losses along the bottom edge also due to frame abrasion. Scattered minor retouchings are visible to the naked eye and these are confirmed under UV light which also reveals a larger area of retouching in the sky and some strengthening to Saint Andrew's facial features and the folds of his cloak. Offered in a gilt carved wood frame in fair condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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 both Dr. Erich Schleier and Prof. Francesco Petrucci for endorsing the attribution to Mola on the basis of photographs. Prof. Petrucci has dated it to circa 1650-55, comparing it in particular to the slightly larger Penitent Saint Peter in the Koelliker collection which he dates to a similar moment in the artist's career.¹ Mola had only recently returned to Rome from his travels in northern Italy from 1641-7. He spent the final two years of this trip in the company of Francesco Albani in Bologna and it was during this stay that he became strongly attracted to the work of Guercino, whose influence is palpable in the present work. The palette in particular corresponds closely with the soft tones used by Guercino in his later years, from the mid 1640s onwards, while St Andrew's facial type and its subtle expression are also reminiscent of his work. Such paintings as this differ markedly from the youthful works on which Mola's early fame rested, such as the large mythological or religious landscapes like The Prodigal Son, Mercury and Argus or the Landscape with two Carthusian monks, all of which are dominated by a stark use of chiaroscuro and the figures are somewhat clumsily handled.² Here the the figure itself is more substantial, the lighting less obvious and dramatic and the draughtsmanship is now exemplary.

Mola never travelled again but continued to attract the most important Roman patrons of the day, such as Pope Alexander VII and the Colonna family. Although elected to the prestigious position of President of the Accademia di San Luca in 1662, he retired after only a year due to ill-health and died three years later in 1666.

1.  See A.G. De Marchi in F. Petrucci (ed.), Mola e il suo tempo. Pittura di figura a Roma dalla Collezione Koelliker, exhibition catalogue, Ariccia, Palazzo Chigi, 22 January - 23 April 2005, p. 144, cat. no. 21, reproduced.
2.  See R. Cocke, Pier Francesco Mola, Oxford 1972, cat. nos. 10, 16, 17, reproduced figs. 18, 19 and 23 respectively.