FRANCESCO COZZA (STILO DI CALABRIA 1605-1682 ROME)
FRANCESCO COZZA (STILO DI CALABRIA 1605-1682 ROME)
FRANCESCO COZZA (STILO DI CALABRIA 1605-1682 ROME)
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Property from an Important Private Collection
FRANCESCO COZZA (STILO DI CALABRIA 1605-1682 ROME)

Erminia seeking refuge with the shepherds

Details
FRANCESCO COZZA (STILO DI CALABRIA 1605-1682 ROME)
Erminia seeking refuge with the shepherds
oil on canvas
39 x 53 1⁄8 in. (99.1 x 134.8 cm.), with additions of 1⁄4 in. (0.7 cm.) to each edge
Provenance
William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury (1779–1860), Heytesbury, Wilstshire, by 1857.
Sir Robert Abdy, 5th Bt. (1896-1976); Christie's, London, 11 July 1930, lot 109, as 'P.F. Mola'.
Private collection, England, acquired in the 1930s, and by descent until sold,
[Property of a Gentleman]; Christie's, London, 9 July 1999, lot 69, as 'Attributed to Francesco Cozza', where acquired by the present owner.
Literature
(Probably) G.F. Waagen, Galleries and Cabinets of Art in Great Britain, London, 1857, supplement, p. 390, as 'Nicolas Poussin. -2. Erminia on a piebald horse, seeking refuge with the shepherds. Finely composed, and Herminia of noble profile. The landscape background also excellent. The conspicuous spots of the horse, however, rather disturb the keeping'.
A. Pigler, Barockthemen, II, Budapest, 1956, p. 438, as 'Pierfrancesco Mola'.
'Report on July's Old Master sales, London: Top-quality appetites', The Art Newspaper, X, 95, September 1999, p. 66.

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Lot Essay

The subject of this canvas is taken from Gerusalemme Liberata, Torquato Tasso’s epic poem from 1581 that follows the vicissitudes of the warring Christians and Saracens. Erminia, the daughter of the Saracen King, is shown encountering a shepherd and his family, while she searches for the injured Tancred. In order to avoid detection she has disguised herself in armor, and the shepherd thus mistakes her for one of the knights fighting in the Crusade.

This painting was first attributed to Francesco Cozza and dated to circa 1670 by Erich Schleier in 1974 (see Christie’s, London, 9 July 1999, lot 69), a view which has subsequently been confirmed by Francesco Gatta (dates to circa 1670-75; written communication, 9 December 2024) and Francesco Petrucci (dates to circa 1670-75; written communication, 10 December 2024) on the basis of digital images. The latter notes its proximity to the artist’s Finding of Moses (Istitui di Santa Maria in Aquiro, Rome), Esther and Ahasuerus (Private collection, Palo Alto, California), and Triumph of David (Private collection).

The luminous skies, carefully modulated light, and balanced spatial arrangement of Erminia reveal the influence of Nicolas Poussin, particularly his frieze-like compositions from the 1630s. Cozza's integration of landscape and narrative was further shaped by his exposure to Pier Francesco Mola, with whom he collaborated on fresco at Palazzo Pamphilj in Valmontone. While Mola's lyrical naturalism influenced Cozza's approach, Cozza’s compositions retain a stricter classical restraint.

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