.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Born to humble parents in Genoa in 1581, Strozzi entered the monastery of Saint Barnarba in 1598 to become a member of the Capuchin order. Fresh from his training with the Tuscan Mannerist Piero Sorri, the young Strozzi focussed on devotional subjects. In 1610, however, he left the monastery to support his widowed mother and once outside the religious order, Strozzi expanded his repertoire to include portraits and genre paintings. His style continued to evolve, and at this period he was influenced by the Caravaggist school of painters, as well as by Rubens and van Dyck, both of whom made frequent trips to Genoa. Around 1625 Strozzi was accused of having brought 'dishonour to his sacred habit', and although the reasons for the accusation remain obscure, the Capuchin order condemned his secular works. After the death of his mother in 1630 he refused to return to monastic life, and after brief imprisonment, he was granted permission to live in Venice, where he worked for the rest of his life.
The subject of the Charity of Saint Laurence clearly struck a chord with the artist, for he painted it on numerous occasions. Laurence was ordained deacon by Pope Sixtus II, during a time of intense persecution. The Pope commanded him to distribute the church's treasures to the poor, which he duly did. A Roman prefect who witnessed this act ordered Laurence to surrender the treasure to him, whereupon the Saint, indicating the poor and sick around him replied, 'Here are the treasures of the Church', for which he was martyred.
Strozzi painted three treatments of this theme, and the present picture, with Saint Laurence on the left depositing a ciborium into the hands of an old woman, with other figures beyond and more treasure visible on the left, is a version, of very similar dimensions, to the work in the Portland Art Museum, Oregon, and sold in these Rooms, 18 November 1949, lot 49 (Mortari, op. cit., 1995, no. 319). Another version is in the M.H. Drey Collection, London (ibid., no. 320). The present work is a third version, that has been housed in a noble Genoese family for generations.
The subject of the Charity of Saint Laurence clearly struck a chord with the artist, for he painted it on numerous occasions. Laurence was ordained deacon by Pope Sixtus II, during a time of intense persecution. The Pope commanded him to distribute the church's treasures to the poor, which he duly did. A Roman prefect who witnessed this act ordered Laurence to surrender the treasure to him, whereupon the Saint, indicating the poor and sick around him replied, 'Here are the treasures of the Church', for which he was martyred.
Strozzi painted three treatments of this theme, and the present picture, with Saint Laurence on the left depositing a ciborium into the hands of an old woman, with other figures beyond and more treasure visible on the left, is a version, of very similar dimensions, to the work in the Portland Art Museum, Oregon, and sold in these Rooms, 18 November 1949, lot 49 (Mortari, op. cit., 1995, no. 319). Another version is in the M.H. Drey Collection, London (ibid., no. 320). The present work is a third version, that has been housed in a noble Genoese family for generations.