Giuseppe Porta, called Salviati

B. Hausmann, Hanover, Hanover Princely Collections, inv. no. 167, by 1831 (as Scarzellino di Ferrara); 
King George V (1865- 1936) by 1857, his red seal stamped to the reverse of the panel;
Fideikommiss Galerie des Gesamthauses Braunschweig Lüneburg collection;
Their sale, Berlin, Paul Cassirer and Hugo Helbing, 27 -28 April 1926, lot 143 (as Ippolito Scarsella, called Scarsellino, unsold);
Schlöss Blankenburg, circa 1929, inv. no. 0566 (according to a wax seal on the reverse);
By descent until sold Hanover, Schloss Marienburg, Sotheby's, 6 October 2005, lot 500, as Venetian School, circa 1600.

Verzeichnifs der Hausmann'schen Gemählde-Sammlung in Hanover, Braunschweig 1831, p.83, cat. no. 167, (as Scarzellino di Ferrara).
J. Reimers, Katalog der zur Fideikommiss-Galerie des Gesamthauses Braunschweig und Lüneburg gehörigen Sammlung von Gemälden und Skulpturen im Provinzialmuseum Rudolf v. Bennigsenstr. 1 zu Hannover, Hanover 1905;
Sammlung Bertheau, cat. no. 379;
M. Gregori, "Fogli di taccuino: un dipinto di Giuseppe Porta detto il Salviati" in G.M. Pilo, L. de Rossi and I. Reale, Un'Identità: custodi dell'arte e della memoria, Edizione Laguna 2007, p. 217-218, reproduced p. 435.

The panel is in good condition, made up of two boards with a vertical join and a slight vertical bow and a vertical crack running from the left hand side of the upper edge, 2/3 of the way down th panel with a reinforcing bracket on the reverse. The paint surface is in good condition over all with very good retention of colour. Inspection under UV reveals minor retouching along the panel join and crack and along some fine vertical cracks in the paint surface, also to some of the flesh and to Joseph's drapery. The painting is ready to hang and offered in a carved gilt wood frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Giuseppe Porta was apprenticed to Francesco Salviati in Rome in 1535 and travelled with him to Venice four years later.  When his master left the city in 1541, Giuseppe remained, supported by eminent patrons including the Doge Francesco Donà.  Published by Mina Gregori, this rare early work by Giuseppe displays the vibrant hues and compositional dynamism characteristic of the artist in his youth.  Porta's figures, with their heavy muscularity and dark, deep set eyes, convey the narrative with dramatic expression; the elongated limbs and oversized hands and feet lend emphasis to the ardent gestures of the brothers as they bow to Joseph in entreaty.  

Gregori offers an early dating of this work, declaring the unmistakably Venetian red of the robe tied at the waist of the central figure, to be indicative of the artist's arrival in Venice in 1539 and citing David McTavish's discovery of three further Stories of Joseph by Porta, similar in style to the present work, now in the Royal Collection, London.¹  Indicating examples present also in this panel, such as the youthful inexperience in design and the tendency in his early career to expose flesh in order to exhibit his anatomical rendering; McTavish dates these works to the early 1540s when the artist's style remained indebted to his master, Francesco Salviati.²  The landscape, reminiscent of Veneto, and the architecture, with its twinned, arch-topped windows echoes the sfondo of the Hampton Court Joseph Before the Pharaoh, where we also perceive the young artist's naivety in handling perspective.³ Both Gregori and McTavish attest Porta's proclivity toward the depiction of "i tipi virile e senile, con le barbe folte e le azioni controllate e severe" ("virile old men, with thick beards and controlled, severe actions") encapsulated here in the central figure with red and blue robes and further exemplified by the figures of Joseph in the Interpretation of Dreams (Royal Collection, London) and Saint Paul in the Falier ai Frari altar piece, Venice.⁴   

A note on the Provenance:
The painting enjoys a particularly distinguished provenance: it was once the private property of King George V of England (who had very strong family ties to Germany) and his red seal is stamped to the reverse of the panel. The German provenance of the work suggests that unlike the other panels in the series the present painting never formed part of the British royal collection but remained in Germany.

1.  D. McTavish, Giuseppe Porta, called Giuseppe Salviati, New York and London 1981, pp.269-272, reproduced figs. 131-133.
2.  D.McTavish, op. cit., p.271.
3.  M. Gregori, (see Literature) op. cit., p.217
4.  Ibid.