洛倫佐‧帕西內利

Private European collection;
Acquired 2014.

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 in wonderful condition. The canvas has a glue lining. The surface shows cracking, but this is to be expected. The paint layer has been delicately cleaned, and there is an attractive patina remaining on the surface. There are no retouches, which is quite extraordinary for a work of this period.
"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."

Much of what is known about the Bolognese artist Lorenzo Pasinelli comes from the grandiose account of his life recorded by his student and biographer Giampietro Zanotti (1674-1765).¹  As the oldest of six children, Pasinelli's parents intended for him to become a spice merchant, yet his artistic talent was recognized at an early age.  After excelling in the studio of Antonio Baroni, Pasinelli was sent to work with Simone Cantarini, one of Guido Reni's most talented pupils, during which time he was also training at the Accademia del Disegno under Alessandro Tiarini, Francesco Albani, and Michele Desubleo.  After Cantarini's death in 1648, Pasanelli joined the workshop of Flaminio Torri, and after three years, he set out to establish his own career, quickly building a reputation as one of the leading masters of Bologna, rivaled only by that of Carlo Cignani. Over the next few decades, he received numerous international commissions and ran a workshop that flourished until he closed it in 1698, two years before his death.  Among his most prominent students were Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole, Gian Antonio Burrini, Aureliano Milani, and Donato Creti.  

This captivating painting depicts the bust of an elegant young woman, possibly in the guise of a sibyl.  She holds an arrow in her left hand, and a scroll (or a prophecy) in her right, as her lush russet hair tumbles down from beneath a purple headdress adorned with pearls and drapes over her shoulders.  A few delicate wisps of curls, a signature detail of Pasinelli's, frame her face.  This is very likely an early work by the artist, dating to the late 1640s, for it exhibits the influence of Flaminio Torri, particularly in the rendering of the figure’s hair, turban, and complexion. Stylistic comparisons can be drawn between the present canvas and two other works by Pasinelli dating to the same period, one of Sofonisba and the other a Sibyl, both in private collections.  In all three works, a turbaned and introspective woman is set against a dark background and rendered with a restrained palette and a refined modelling that reveals supple flesh and soft features.

1. G. Zanotti, Nuovo fregio di gloria a Felsina sempre pittrice nella vita di Lorenzo Pasinelli pittor bolognese, Bologna 1703.  Translation: A Glorious New Honor for Felsina, Perpetual City of Painters, in the Life of Lorenzo Pasinelli, Bolognese Painter.

2. See C. Baroncini, Lorenzo Pasinelli, Faenza 2010, pp. 151-152, cat. nos 2 and 3, reproduced plates I and II.