Giovan Francesco de Rosa, called Pacecco de Rosa

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 fairly recently cleaned and restored. The lining however is considerably older and while the paint layer is adhered safely, the cracking is quite noticeably raised throughout. It is a consideration that this stiff lining be removed and a more successful lining be applied, which will eliminate the cracking. Under ultraviolet light throughout the picture these raised cracks have attracted a fair amount of retouching yet it has been nicely and accurately applied. There is some other restoration in the upper right where a one inch by one inch loss has been retouched and in the dark chest of the figure there may be a loss which has been retouched. Nonetheless, it is the cracking which has attracted the bulk if the restoration. The paint layer is very healthy with an attractive patina. Any abrasion which may have occurred does not appear to be visible or an issue. If the lining were to be reversed, the retouching which addresses these cracks will not be required in such quantity.
"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."

Pacecco de Rosa was the son of the painter Tommaso de Rosa and trained with his stepfather, the Caravaggesque painter Filippo Vitale, with whom he was associated until Vitale's death in 1650. Pacecco continued his studies under Massimo Stanzione, whose classical style was of tremendous importance to the development of his art. He was Stanzione's most talented pupil and in this work we see the strong influence of his master in the treatment of St. Barbara. Pacecco's masterpiece The Massacre of the Innocents in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with its bright palette, and attention to detail, also strongly displays the influence of his master's work from the 1630's. Pacecco was highly popular in his own lifetime, and he received both secular, and ecclesiastical commissions, including his Annunciation in San Gregorio Armeno, Naples, and his Deposition in Nunziatella, Naples.

We are grateful to Dr. Nicola Spinosa for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs.  He will include this painting in the first volume of his publication on Neapolitan 17th Century painting, currently in preparation.