Andrea Casali

The tone of the original is a touch less yellow than it appears in the catalogue illustration. The canvas has been relined and the paint surface is secure and in fairly good condition. There are a handful of minor old restored damages, the largest of which is an unobtrusive L shaped damage lower left of approx 6 by 4 cm in which some old discoloured retouchings are visible to the naked eye. Inspection under UV light confirms these and reveals some other minor scattered retouching work. Offered in an ornate gilt wood and plaster frame in good 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."

ENGRAVED
By Simon-François de Ravenet, 1763.

This is a modello for Casali's large signed canvas (100 by 82 in.) at Burton Constable Hall, Yorkshire and formerly in the famed collection of William Beckford at Fonthill. Casali seems to have originally paired the composition with a Lucretia recounting her tale of dishonour: John Boydell published engravings of the two, as pendants, in 1763. Whether the engravings are based on the finished articles or the modellos is not known, though no large-scale version of Lucretia is known to exist. A modello of Lucretia (of similar measurements to the present Gunhilda: 97 by 72 cm.) is in the Lemme collection, Rome.¹ The Lemme exhibition catalogue gives their Lucretia as having been exhibited at the Free Society in 1761 (no. 56) and commissioned by the Duke of Besborough and this early history may thus apply to the present lot too.

1. S. Loire, La Collection Lemme, exhibition catalogue, Paris 1998, pp. 104-5, no. 25, reproduced