Jusepe de Ribera, called Spagnoletto

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 has not been recently restored, and it will certainly improve if re-examined. The lining is very old, and the tacking edges have been reinforced. The surface is slightly uneven. If the lining were re-examined and the heavy varnish removed, there would be a livelier paint layer, which at present is quite smooth and lifeless. The entire picture reads in a very milky fashion under ultraviolet light, and no retouches are clearly visible under ultraviolet light except for a few retouches to some cracking in the face, neck and hand and one vertical line of restoration just beneath the beard. Although one would expect other restorations in a work of this period, it may actually be that this work has very few. The work would improve noticeably if the lining were changed and the work properly cleaned and retouched.
"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."

In a document dated 23 April 2010, Nicola Spinosa endorsed the attribution of this Penitent Saint Peter to Jusepe Ribera based on photographs.¹  The composition is known through several replicas and copies of varying quality and this painting is almost identical to a version in the Corporation Art Gallery, Glasgow, signed and dated, 1628.²  Despite the signature, the attribution of the Glasgow painting has been questioned.  As Spinosa states in his letter, however, the present painting is undoubtedly autograph, the intensity of expression and superb treatment of the eyes, reddened from crying, clearly denoting the hand of the master.

1.  Private communication with the owner.
2.  For the Glasgow version see N. Spinosa, Ribera.  La Obra Completa, Madrid 2008, p. 501, cat. no. C13, under "Problematic Attributions".