Lot Essay
The present lot and its companions, Saints Matthew, Mark and Luke, have a long and distinguished provenance reaching back to the artist's lifetime. The Four Evangelists may have been painted for Dolci's confessor, Fra. Domenico Carpanti. All four paintings subsequently passed into the collection of the noted patron of Florentine Seicento artists, Giovanni Battista Galli and hung in his palazzo on via Pandolfini. The paintings are recorded at via Pandolfini by Cinelli in 1677: 'In una Camera soni i Quattro Evangelisti maggiori del naturale di mano del Dolci...' (F. Cinelli, op. cit.). They are next recorded in the Riccardi collection at Palazzo Riccardi-Medici although how they passed from one collection to the other is unknown.
William Buchanan (op. cit., 1815) then records the set in 1815 when they were in the possession of Lucien Buonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, who had lived in Italy from 1804-10. Buonaparte must have acquired the set sometime after 1804, but whether he bought them from Riccardi or merely obtained them after they had been confiscated by the French is also unclear. The fame of the present painting when in Buonaparte's collection in Paris is attested to by the various copies of the composition that exist in France, including two in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nancy (Inv. no. 650) and the Musée de la Chastreuse, Douai (Inv. no. 1083), both attributed to Matteo Rosselli (see A. Brejon de Laverguée, et. al., Musées de France: Repertoire des Peintures italiennes du XVIIe siècle, 1988, pp. 299-300). Other copies are in the Musées de Beaux-Arts, Grenoble and Nîmes, and a further copy was sold at Ader Tajan, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 26, 1992, lot 55.
Between Buchanan's catalogue of Buonaparte's collection in 1815 and Buonaparte's sale in 1816, the set of four pictures were split up. Only Saint Mark and Saint Luke appeared in Napoleon's sale at Stanley's, London, as Saint Matthew and Saint John had been sold privately to Sir Simon Clarke for 1,000 gns. each. The latter two had apparently been selected by Sir Simon as he considered them superior to Saints Mark and Luke. During the 19th century the Italian seicento was perhaps at its most popular among English collectors and it is likely that Dolci's Evangelists were among the finest works by the artist seen in England at that date. Both Passavant (1833) and Waagen (1854) had noted Dolci's popularity among English collectors, a fact made even more remarkable considering the obvious Catholic fervor of his religious works.
Buchanan, in his catalogue of Buonaparte's Collection, describes the set, and specifically, the Saint John as 'of the works of this esteemed master none exist which hold a higher rank, or have been more esteemed than the Four Evangelists in this collection. They formed four of the principal ornaments of the Riccardi Gallery at Florence... The St. John is probably one of the most beautiful and interesting figures which has been painted' (Buchanan, op. cit., 1815). It is perhaps not surprising then, that the present lot fetched the highest price at the mammoth twenty-six day sale of Lord Northwick's collection in 1859. The catalogue of that sale described Saint John as: 'the surprising beauty of this admirable work, whether for colouring, breadth of effect, or exquisite finish, renders all eulogy superfluous. The most accomplished Connoisseur, and the most superficial lover of art, would be alike attracted by it'.
Paintings by Dolci were presented to King Charles II and his Queen Catherine of Braganza by Sir John Finch, who himself sat for Dolci. The 5th Earl of Exeter acquired a series of works from the painter, including Dolci's Our Saviour Blessing the Elements which Sir Walter Scott described in 1826 as 'worth a king's ransom'. Later English collectors who acquired paintings by Dolci include Sir Paul Methuen at Corsham Court and Henry Hoare at Stourhead. The enduring love of Dolci's work and the esteem in which it was held during the nineteenth century in England is perhaps best shown by the price realised for his Madonna della Stella of 6,600 gns. at the Blenheim sale in 1889, only marginally less than the most expensive Rubens at 7,200 gns.
After 1816, The Four Evangelists were irrevocably split up and the identities of Saints Luke and Mark became confused. Buchanan does not record who bought the Saint Luke (actually Saint Mark) from the Buonaparte sale. However, it later turned up in the collection of William II of Orange, King of the Netherlands in 1843. It was sold from the Royal collection in August 1850, and entered the collection of the Fürstliche familie zu Wied, until sold by the Princess Marie zu Wied at Sotheby's, July 5, 1968, lot 18 where it was purchased by Malcolm Waddingham who sold it to a private collector (see B.B. Fredericksen, op. cit., 1976, p. 72, fig. 5). The whereabouts of the real Saint Luke are unknown. Buchanan records that it was bought at Buonaparte's sale in 1816 by Edward Gray, and it may later have passed into the collection of James Morrison, who put up money for Buchanan to buy Gray's collection en bloc in 1838.
Saint Matthew and Saint John were still together at the Clarke sale at Christie's in 1840, where they too were separated, the Saint John entering the collection of Lord Northwick. At Lord Northwick's sale in 1859 the Saint John was purchased by Sir Samuel Scott who had somehow already procured Saint Matthew, since he exhibited both paintings at the British Institution in the following year. Both paintings remained in the Scott collection until 1924 when they were sold together at Christie's, London, for a paltry 7 gns. The importance of these pictures and their illustrious provenance was finally completely diminished when they both appeared in a sale at Newman's, Los Angeles in 1964 as 'School of Carlo Dolci' with no other information pertaining to their past. Saint John was purchased by the present owner, and Saint Matthew by Henry Drake, who sold it to the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1969 (fig. 1). Both the Getty painting and the present painting are in identical Empire frames.
A preparatory drawing for the hands of Saint John is in the British Museum (fig. 2).
The present lot is to be included in Dr. Francesca Baldassari's monograph on Carlo Dolci currently in print. We are grateful to her for her assistance in the cataloguing of this lot
William Buchanan (op. cit., 1815) then records the set in 1815 when they were in the possession of Lucien Buonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, who had lived in Italy from 1804-10. Buonaparte must have acquired the set sometime after 1804, but whether he bought them from Riccardi or merely obtained them after they had been confiscated by the French is also unclear. The fame of the present painting when in Buonaparte's collection in Paris is attested to by the various copies of the composition that exist in France, including two in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nancy (Inv. no. 650) and the Musée de la Chastreuse, Douai (Inv. no. 1083), both attributed to Matteo Rosselli (see A. Brejon de Laverguée, et. al., Musées de France: Repertoire des Peintures italiennes du XVIIe siècle, 1988, pp. 299-300). Other copies are in the Musées de Beaux-Arts, Grenoble and Nîmes, and a further copy was sold at Ader Tajan, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 26, 1992, lot 55.
Between Buchanan's catalogue of Buonaparte's collection in 1815 and Buonaparte's sale in 1816, the set of four pictures were split up. Only Saint Mark and Saint Luke appeared in Napoleon's sale at Stanley's, London, as Saint Matthew and Saint John had been sold privately to Sir Simon Clarke for 1,000 gns. each. The latter two had apparently been selected by Sir Simon as he considered them superior to Saints Mark and Luke. During the 19th century the Italian seicento was perhaps at its most popular among English collectors and it is likely that Dolci's Evangelists were among the finest works by the artist seen in England at that date. Both Passavant (1833) and Waagen (1854) had noted Dolci's popularity among English collectors, a fact made even more remarkable considering the obvious Catholic fervor of his religious works.
Buchanan, in his catalogue of Buonaparte's Collection, describes the set, and specifically, the Saint John as 'of the works of this esteemed master none exist which hold a higher rank, or have been more esteemed than the Four Evangelists in this collection. They formed four of the principal ornaments of the Riccardi Gallery at Florence... The St. John is probably one of the most beautiful and interesting figures which has been painted' (Buchanan, op. cit., 1815). It is perhaps not surprising then, that the present lot fetched the highest price at the mammoth twenty-six day sale of Lord Northwick's collection in 1859. The catalogue of that sale described Saint John as: 'the surprising beauty of this admirable work, whether for colouring, breadth of effect, or exquisite finish, renders all eulogy superfluous. The most accomplished Connoisseur, and the most superficial lover of art, would be alike attracted by it'.
Paintings by Dolci were presented to King Charles II and his Queen Catherine of Braganza by Sir John Finch, who himself sat for Dolci. The 5th Earl of Exeter acquired a series of works from the painter, including Dolci's Our Saviour Blessing the Elements which Sir Walter Scott described in 1826 as 'worth a king's ransom'. Later English collectors who acquired paintings by Dolci include Sir Paul Methuen at Corsham Court and Henry Hoare at Stourhead. The enduring love of Dolci's work and the esteem in which it was held during the nineteenth century in England is perhaps best shown by the price realised for his Madonna della Stella of 6,600 gns. at the Blenheim sale in 1889, only marginally less than the most expensive Rubens at 7,200 gns.
After 1816, The Four Evangelists were irrevocably split up and the identities of Saints Luke and Mark became confused. Buchanan does not record who bought the Saint Luke (actually Saint Mark) from the Buonaparte sale. However, it later turned up in the collection of William II of Orange, King of the Netherlands in 1843. It was sold from the Royal collection in August 1850, and entered the collection of the Fürstliche familie zu Wied, until sold by the Princess Marie zu Wied at Sotheby's, July 5, 1968, lot 18 where it was purchased by Malcolm Waddingham who sold it to a private collector (see B.B. Fredericksen, op. cit., 1976, p. 72, fig. 5). The whereabouts of the real Saint Luke are unknown. Buchanan records that it was bought at Buonaparte's sale in 1816 by Edward Gray, and it may later have passed into the collection of James Morrison, who put up money for Buchanan to buy Gray's collection en bloc in 1838.
Saint Matthew and Saint John were still together at the Clarke sale at Christie's in 1840, where they too were separated, the Saint John entering the collection of Lord Northwick. At Lord Northwick's sale in 1859 the Saint John was purchased by Sir Samuel Scott who had somehow already procured Saint Matthew, since he exhibited both paintings at the British Institution in the following year. Both paintings remained in the Scott collection until 1924 when they were sold together at Christie's, London, for a paltry 7 gns. The importance of these pictures and their illustrious provenance was finally completely diminished when they both appeared in a sale at Newman's, Los Angeles in 1964 as 'School of Carlo Dolci' with no other information pertaining to their past. Saint John was purchased by the present owner, and Saint Matthew by Henry Drake, who sold it to the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1969 (fig. 1). Both the Getty painting and the present painting are in identical Empire frames.
A preparatory drawing for the hands of Saint John is in the British Museum (fig. 2).
The present lot is to be included in Dr. Francesca Baldassari's monograph on Carlo Dolci currently in print. We are grateful to her for her assistance in the cataloguing of this lot