Bartolomeo Neroni, called Riccio

Karl Lundmark Collection, Stockholm, by 1977

G. Briganti, L'opera completa del Beccafumi, Milan 1977, p. 112, cat. no. 215, reproduced plate no. 215.

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 work is not in particularly good condition. In the chest of the putti in the upper right there is a large area of instability with accompanying paint loss and another complete loss in the right hip of the female nude. However, there have been numerous previous losses which have been rather heavily restored. All of this restoration has discolored over time and is now very obvious to the naked eye. If the painting was cleaned and these restorations removed, one would be presented with a severely abraded and damaged image. However, this would provide an opportunity to restore the painting properly, which would result in an image of good and pleasing quality.
"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 Reclining Venus with two Amorini follows the tradition of panels incorporated into furniture, a fashion widespread in Siena in the mid sixteenth century; given its dimensions, it would appear the present work was intended for the headboard or wings of a bed.¹  In a letter dated March 1985, Giuliano Briganti suggests it is an early work by the Sienese artist, Bartolomeo Neroni, called il Riccio.  This painting is comparable to Bartolommeo Neroni's Venus at a Mirror, with two Amorini, of similar dimensions (61.7 by 110.1 cm), now in the Palazzo Chigi Saracini, Siena.²  In the present painting the beguiling Venus is placed in a similar pose to that of the Palazzo Chigi Saracini goddess; propped elegantly on her elbow, her torso twisting slightly, she rests on her hip,crossing her left leg over her right.  In contrast here, however is the arm crossing her chest to touch the dove, the symbol of love.  The gesture serves to divide the of torso, lending the figure a certain gracefulness.   Neroni's figures are imbued with a quality of monumentality, the goddess' imposing limbs fill the panel, the muscularity and solidity even of the amorini's  rounded flanks displays the style doubtless attained in the studio of Sodoma, his father-in-law and master.³  The dominant presence of Venus, however, is tempered by the fluidity of her gestures and the delicately molded features, the soft mouth and pointed nose bearing the early influence of Beccafumi.

1.  F. Sricchia Santoro, Da Sodoma a Marco Pino, Addenda, Siena 1991, p. 57, cat. no. 24.
2.  Ibid
3.  P. Torriti, La Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena, i dipinti dal XV al XVIII secolo, Genoa 1978, p.120.