Circle of Pier Francesco Mola (Coldrerio, near Lugano 1612-1666 Rome). The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, oil on canvas, 50.2 x 67.3 cm (19 3/4 x 26 1/2 ins), old gilt carved frame, Provenance: Christie's, London, 19 March 2020, Chieveley House, Berkshire and Five Private Collections, lot 266; Estate of Michael Jaffé (1923-1997), art historian and former director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. A recent restoration of this painting removed old, matt and discoloured varnish, and a film of surface dirt, and showed that the figures of Mary and Joseph are a later addition, probably dating from the 18th or early 19th century. When varnish was removed from the figurative group, which remained dark and ill-defined in some areas, a Cupid-like figure started to emerge, followed by a bare female leg. The painting was then x-rayed at the request of the current owner (illustrated here) revealing that the composition originally showed a reclining female nude as well as a garlanded Cupid figure, holding up a drape to reveal her beauty. The painting would therefore have originally represented Venus and Cupid in a pastoral landscape. Further restoration will most likely reveal the original composition more clearly, and redress the curent imbalance of light and dark. We are grateful to picture conservator Seonaid Wood for her conservation report.
Circle of Pier Francesco Mola (Coldrerio, near Lugano 1612-1666 Rome). The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, oil on canvas, 50.2 x 67.3 cm (19 3/4 x 26 1/2 ins), old gilt carved frame, Provenance: Christie's, London, 19 March 2020, Chieveley House, Berkshire and Five Private Collections, lot 266; Estate of Michael Jaffé (1923-1997), art historian and former director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. A recent restoration of this painting removed old, matt and discoloured varnish, and a film of surface dirt, and showed that the figures of Mary and Joseph are a later addition, probably dating from the 18th or early 19th century. When varnish was removed from the figurative group, which remained dark and ill-defined in some areas, a Cupid-like figure started to emerge, followed by a bare female leg. The painting was then x-rayed at the request of the current owner (illustrated here) revealing that the composition originally showed a reclining female nude as well as a garlanded Cupid figure, holding up a drape to reveal her beauty. The painting would therefore have originally represented Venus and Cupid in a pastoral landscape. Further restoration will most likely reveal the original composition more clearly, and redress the curent imbalance of light and dark. We are grateful to picture conservator Seonaid Wood for her conservation report.
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
