MICHELE TOSINI, CALLED MICHELE DI RIDOLFO DEL GHIRLANDAIO (BADIA DI PASSIGNANO 1503-1577 FLORENCE)
MICHELE TOSINI, CALLED MICHELE DI RIDOLFO DEL GHIRLANDAIO (BADIA DI PASSIGNANO 1503-1577 FLORENCE)
MICHELE TOSINI, CALLED MICHELE DI RIDOLFO DEL GHIRLANDAIO (BADIA DI PASSIGNANO 1503-1577 FLORENCE)
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MICHELE TOSINI, CALLED MICHELE DI RIDOLFO DEL GHIRLANDAIO (BADIA DI PASSIGNANO 1503-1577 FLORENCE)

Cleopatra

Details
MICHELE TOSINI, CALLED MICHELE DI RIDOLFO DEL GHIRLANDAIO (BADIA DI PASSIGNANO 1503-1577 FLORENCE)
Cleopatra
oil on panel
16 5⁄8 x 12 1⁄8 in. (39.7 x 30.5 cm.)
Provenance
Descended in a noble French family, Bordeaux, for at least three generations, until sold,
Anonymous sale; Piguet Hôtel des Ventes, Geneva, 20 September 2023, lot 11, where acquired by the present owner.

Brought to you by

Taylor Alessio
Taylor Alessio Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

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Lot Essay

By the mid-1560s, Michele Tosini had moved away from the more muted tonalities of the Ghirlandaio workshop under Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, adopting a lighter, more reflective palette influenced by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. He often incorporated cangiante effects, seen in Cleopatra’s drapery, simulating the play of light on shot silk fabrics. This fine panel can be placed with a group of female figures, in half- or bust-length, and featuring common motifs, including: Lucretia and Leda (both Rome, Galleria Borghese); a Saint Mary Magdalen (Sotheby’s, New York, 28 January 2010, lot 196); a Judith (Christie's, London, 27 April 1928, lot 41); and the Head of a Woman (Christie's, London, 7 December 2018, lot 171).

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