GIOVANNI MARTINELLI AND WORKSHOP | AN ALLEGORY OF WISDOM

Anonymous sale, London, Phillips, 5 July 1994, lot 13;

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 3 December 2008, lot 221;

There acquired.

After training with Jacopo Ligozzi and a sojourn to Rome, Giovanni Martinelli established himself in Florence, where he lead a successful career and ran a bustling workshop in the first half of the seventeenth century. Paintings of half or bust-length female figures, with delicate and beautiful details, were among his specialty. In addition to portrayals of female saints and ancient queens, most of these examples, like the present which probably dates to circa 1640-1645, were allegorical in theme. Many of his works from this period also displayed a greater sense of drama, indicative of the influence of Caravaggio and his followers.