Beschreibung:

Circle of Frans Pourbus the Younger (Flemish/French, 1569-1622) Portraits of the illustrious de Polcastro family of Padua, Italy, including "Antonia Padovano (d. 1424), Wife of Girolamo de Polcastro" and "Ottavio de Polcastro (act. 1575-1595)" pair of oils on canvas unsigned, each titled respectively at top "Antonia Paduani, Uxor Hieronymi/Pol.: Docis. 1404" and "Octavius de Polcastris, 1581". Framed alike. each 28-3/4" x 22-1/4" Provenance: Herbie Oakes Collection, Houston, Texas Literature: Marconato, Ruggiero. La Famiglia Polcastro. Camposampiero: Lions Club, 1999, pp. 102-103 Notes: These stunning portraits, vestiges of a prominent Renaissance family, are full of mystique and intrigue, guaranteed to pique the curiosity of the most discerning collectors and art historians. Stylistically, they bear the bravura of Frans Pourbus the Younger- the celebrated court painter of Marie de Medici. The three-quarters profile, black background, but most of all, the deft layering of transparent oil washes to create a luminous figure accented by opaque whites and cadmium yellows (reserved for only the finery of the lace and jewels) is distinctly in the school of Pourbus. Pourbus, born into an accomplished family of Flemish portraitists, trained under his father (Frans I, 1545-1581), and to a lesser degree his grandfather Pieter Pourbus (1523-1584), completing his apprenticeship in 1591 in Antwerp. In 1600, he was commissioned court painter by Vincezo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, and his wife Eleonora, the sister of Marie de Medici. Pourbus remained in the service of the Gonzagas, working in tandem with Peter Paul Rubens, before moving to Paris in 1609 to serve as premier court painter to Marie de Medici. During his tenure in Italy, he likely encountered the Polcastro family in Padua, in the courts of Mantua, Padua or Venice, at which the Polcastros were present. Ottavio Polcastro (Octavius de Polcastris), pictured here, from the ancient 13th century Porcastris family of Vicenza, and of Maddalena Volpe of Padua was active in the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, appearing on its registry of board members that approved the music and choirmasters from the 1570s-through the 1590s. The accompanying portrait of his ancestor, "Antonia Paduani (Padovano), was likely painted at the same time, given that her dress is distinctly early 17th century and not early 15th century. Padovano was the second wife of the Girolamo de Polcastro, and step-mother of the famous physician and philosopher Sigismondo Polcastro (1384-1473), who received his doctorate from the University of Padua in 1412 and taught at the University from 1412 to 1465. Antonia married his father Girolamo (Hieronymi), a prominent jurist, ca. 1400, and in excerpts from her 1424 will, she is alleged to have left Sigismondo funding to secure passage and favor from the bishop. Her contemporary dress, with its full sleeves and bodice, accented by fine lace collar and cuffs, bear a striking resemblance to Pourbus' 1606 portrait of the Duke of Mantua's daughter, Margarita Gonzaga- even the physical resemblance is notable. In the early 17th century, it was not uncommon to model portraiture after reigning dynastic figures for obvious modish reasons, but, more importantly, to elevate an already ennobled family through greater suggested lineage. Pourbus, or perhaps a student of his, may have taken such artistic license to secure prospective commissions. References: Marconato, Ruggiero. La Famiglia Polcastro. Lions Club Camposampierpo, 1999; Bottaro, Francesco. Pesca di Valle e Commercio Ittico a Padova nel Quattrocento. Padua: CLEUP, 2004. Tebaldini, Giovanni. L'Archivio Musicale della Cappella Antoniana in Padova: Illustrazion ...Padua: Libreria Antoniana, 1892; Pietrucci, Napoleone. Biografia degli Artisti Padovani. Bologna: Forni Editore, 1858; Rizzioli, Luigi. I Sigilli nel Museo Bottacin di Padova: Secc. XVII-XIX. Padua: Premiata Cooperativa Tippografica, 1908.