Antonio Randa

In the gallery of the Principe Ercolani, Bologna (as Scuola di Guido Reni, [based on an inscription]);
Private collection, South America;
From whom acquired in the 1990s by the present owner.

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 not been recently restored and will respond well to some restoration. The canvas has an old glue lining which seems to be sufficiently stabilizing the paint layer. The painting itself is in very healthy condition. There is some slight thinness to the paint layer in the waist of the figure on the left and some discoloration and thinness has developed in the darker portion of the sky in the upper right. There are restorations around the edges, as is to be expected, but both the figures, the hands and most of the details in the fabric are very well preserved. In the figure on the right there are a few actual losses in the golden gown to the right of the scepter that is being held, but overall the condition is very good. The lining is sufficient but cleaning and reexamining the picture would be encouraged. The frame should also be adjusted slightly to fit the painting better.
"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 scene in the present composition is taken from a scene in Virgil's Aeneid. Juno, the Queen of the God's, who was loyal to Troy's enemy, Carthage, vents her unrelenting anger towards Aeneas and his attempt to form a new Troy in Italy. To punish the Trojans, she approaches King Aeolus, son of Poseidon and ruler of the storm clouds, and asks him to summon the winds to wreak havoc upon the sailing Trojans, visible in the background of the composition.

Randa, a native of Bologna, was first a student under Guido Reni, and later under Lucio Masari. In the year 1614 he arrived in Modena, where he gained favor in the court of the Duke of Modena, who subsequently appointed him his primary court painter. His works are chiefly located in the churches at Bologna and Ferrara. Randa's masterpiece is a work depicting La gloria del podestà Pietro Morosini in the Rotonda di Rovigo.

We are grateful to Daniele Benati for identifying the present picture as a work by Antonio Randa, based on photographs.