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Lot Essay
The present work belonged to Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga (1690-1756) who was one of the greatest art collectors and patrons of his day. Valenti Gonzaga, born in Mantua, went to Rome at an early age where he had a brilliant career, becoming a Cardinal in 1738, and two years later being appointed Secretary of State under Pope Benedict XIV.
He acquired over eight hundred paintings which were housed in a casino designed by Giovanni Paolo Panini adjoining his villa. Many of his most prized possessions, including what appears to be the present painting are shown in the famous imaginary view of his gallery commissioned from Panini in 1749 and now in the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford (F. Arisi, Gian Paolo Panini e i fasti della Romana del '700, 1986, p. 430, no. 400, illustrated, and p. 159, pls. 166-7; and G. Briganti, L. Trezzani, L. Laureati, I Bamboccianti: Pittori della vita quotidiana a Roma nel Seicento, 1983, p. 152, pl. 514: a detail of the left hand side of the Wadsworth Panini, and Fig. 1 in this catalogue).
A pre-1763 inventory of Valenti Gonzaga's collection published by Carlo Pitrangeli in Villa Paolina, 1961 refers to no. 118 as 'Quadro di once 1, per altezza, e once 10. per larghezza, rappresentante la Testa della Madonna, in tavola'. Assuming, as is likely, that this is the present painting then the first measurement of 1 once has presumably been mistranscried and should be 11, as an once is roughly equivalent to an inch.
He acquired over eight hundred paintings which were housed in a casino designed by Giovanni Paolo Panini adjoining his villa. Many of his most prized possessions, including what appears to be the present painting are shown in the famous imaginary view of his gallery commissioned from Panini in 1749 and now in the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford (F. Arisi, Gian Paolo Panini e i fasti della Romana del '700, 1986, p. 430, no. 400, illustrated, and p. 159, pls. 166-7; and G. Briganti, L. Trezzani, L. Laureati, I Bamboccianti: Pittori della vita quotidiana a Roma nel Seicento, 1983, p. 152, pl. 514: a detail of the left hand side of the Wadsworth Panini, and Fig. 1 in this catalogue).
A pre-1763 inventory of Valenti Gonzaga's collection published by Carlo Pitrangeli in Villa Paolina, 1961 refers to no. 118 as 'Quadro di once 1, per altezza, e once 10. per larghezza, rappresentante la Testa della Madonna, in tavola'. Assuming, as is likely, that this is the present painting then the first measurement of 1 once has presumably been mistranscried and should be 11, as an once is roughly equivalent to an inch.