Luca Giordano, called Fa Presto

La Comtesse Moussine Pouchkine;
Albert Feldeggen.

A. Benois, W. Makowsky, Baron N. Wrangell (et. al.), Les Anciennes Ecoles de Peinture dans les Palais et Collections Privées Russes, Brussels 1910, p. 44 (as by Jusepe Ribera).

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 been cleaned and restored fairly recently; the lining is considerably older. The typical texture of the artist's canvas is clearly visible here but the paint layer is stable. The retouching is not of a particularly high standard and given the fact that there is great quality and liveliness to the paint layer where it is not damaged, cleaning and possibly reexamining the lining would greatly benefit this work. Retouches have been applied to some losses in the chest of the St. Jerome and in his left arm. There are retouches in the fingers of his right hand and in his book some isolated losses have also been attended to. The face is almost completely un-retouched, there are isolated retouches in the darker area surrounding the head and to a lesser degree in the background, except along the bottom edge where some losses have occurred. It should be pointed out that despite these losses which seem to have occurred perhaps because of dampness, the quality and overall condition of the paint layer where it is not compromised is very good and so this is a picture which will respond very well to accurate retouching.
"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."

Early in his career Giordano's style was heavily influenced by Ribera, so much so that autograph works by Giordano have previously been misatributed to the older artist. One such example is Giordano's Philosophers, in the Pinacoteca Civica Tosio Martinengo, Brescia, traditionally attributed to Ribera but actually by Giordano (O. Ferrari & G. Scavizzi, Luca GiordanoL L'opera completa, Naples 1992, vol. I, cat. no. A22, reproduced vol. II, figs. 85 and 86).  The present work demonstrates this Riberesque influence most clearly in the artist's choice to represent St. Jerome, perhaps Ribera's best known composition. Furthermore, in Giordano's marked use of chiaroscuro, and loose application of paint to render the skin of St. Jerome, he has made a distinct reference to Ribera's mature style.

We are grateful to Professor Giuseppe Scavizzi for confirming the attribution of the present picture to Giordano, based on photographs. Professor Scavizzi dates the picture to circa 1664.