GIOVANNI BATTISTA GAULLI, IL BACICCIO (GENOA 1639-1709 ROME)
GIOVANNI BATTISTA GAULLI, IL BACICCIO (GENOA 1639-1709 ROME)
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Property from the Hispanic Society Museum to Benefit the Collection Care and Acquisition Fund
GIOVANNI BATTISTA GAULLI, IL BACICCIO (GENOA 1639-1709 ROME)

Portrait of a woman, three-quarter length

Details
GIOVANNI BATTISTA GAULLI, IL BACICCIO (GENOA 1639-1709 ROME)
Portrait of a woman, three-quarter length
oil on canvas, unframed
42 ½ x 34 1⁄8 in. (108 x 86.6 cm.)
Provenance
Collection of William Lukens Elkins (1832-1903), as Velázquez.
Acquired by Archer Milton Huntington, by whom presented on 4 June 1925 to the Hispanic Society of America.
Literature
W.L. Elkins, Catalogue of paintings in the private collection of W.L. Elkins, 1887-1890, pt. 2, no. 131, as Velázquez.

Brought to you by

Taylor Alessio
Taylor Alessio Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

Lot Essay

Datable to circa 1668-70, this portrait has recently been attributed to the young Giovanni Battista Gaulli, called il Baciccio, and reflects the artist's engagement with Jacob Ferdinand Voet’s female portraiture while also showing the influence of Diego Velázquez.

We are grateful to Dr. Francesco Petrucci for proposing the attribution on the basis of a photograph and for sharing his observations (written communication, 21 August 2025). Petrucci draws particular attention to the distinctive treatment of the hands, which may be compared with those in Baciccio’s Portrait of Eleonora Boncompagni Borghese (see F. Petrucci, Baciccio: Giovan Battista Gaulli (1639-1709), Rome, 2009, cat. A61-A62). He also cites Baciccio’s copy of Velázquez’s celebrated Portrait of Innocent X (Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Rome), executed as part of a series of six portraits for Cardinal Flavio Chigi (F. Petrucci, op. cit., cat. A7), as further evidence of the Spanish master’s impact on the young painter.

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