Guido Reni

Private collection, Vienna.

 

Caldarola, Palazzo dei Cardinali Pallotta, Le stanze del Cardinale; Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino, Mattia Preti, May 23-November 12, 2009, cat. no. 45.

R. Morselli, in Le stanze del Cardinale; Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino, Mattia Preti, exhibition catalogue, Caldarola 2009, p. 162, cat. no. 45, reproduced p.163.

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 an old wax lining on the reverse of the canvas and although it is stabilizing the paint layer, the cracking to the surface is quite raised. Since it is easy to reverse these wax linings, a fresh lining would improve the surface. The paint layer is more or less clean and is retouched and varnished. It is unclear from examination under ultraviolet light where retouches might exist; however, to the naked eye the areas of flesh look very well preserved, as does the robe and all of the details in the face, beard and the crown of thorns. There seems to be a small restoration in the beard on the right side and also in the right side of the chest. In the background the golden glow around the head seems to be in good shape, but there is some blooming and milkiness in the darker brown that surrounds the figure, and possibly some restoration here. Overall, the condition is excellent yet the restoration falls well short and this is a picture that will respond very well to a fresh approach to restoration.
"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 present Ecce Homo, a recent addition to Reni's oeuvre, continues a celebrated theme in the artist's career. The picture was included in a recent exhibition at the Palazzo dei Cardinali Pallota, where Rafaella Morselli argued that the painting stands out as a highly representative example from Reni's maturity, dating it to circa 1638. It repeats the composition, painted on copper, which now hangs in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden, a work generally recognized as the prime version of the composition (see S. Pepper, Guido Reni, New York 1984, pp. 274-5, cat. no. 162). Richard Spear has argued though that the Dresden version may in fact be a well executed work from the studio, potentially leaving the question of the location of the prime version open to debate.¹ In discussing the Dresden copper, Pepper lists two known copies, one in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 554) and another in the National Gallery, Budapest (inv. no. 994).  

Here we see Reni's ability to showcase not only the physical, but the psychological description, or affetti, of the figure portrayed. Crowned with thorns, Christ glances upward as he holds a reed scepter, a symbol of mockery. With his hands tied together, he appears physically and emotionally exhausted, truly a Man of Sorrows. Reni recreated this particular composition in a number of different variants. One such variant, sold, London, Sotheby's, December 6, 2006, lot 39, shares the same core attributes as seen here, though in that picture Christ bends his head to the right, and holds the reed scepter over his left shoulder.

As described in the 2009 exhibition catalogue (see literature), X-Ray examination of the present work reveals the presence of pentimenti along the left hand of Christ, as well as in the drapery on the right arm. This fact helps illuminate a working, thoughtful process in the execution of the picture and further corroborates an argument for the full attribution of this beautiful work to Reni.

 

1.  R. Spear, The "Divine" Guido: Religion, Sex, Money and Art in the World of Guido Reni, New Haven & London 1997, p. 365, footnote 53.