Giovanni Manozzi, called Giovanni di San Giovanni (1592-1636)

Details

Giovanni Manozzi, called Giovanni di San Giovanni (1592-1636)

Ghismonda discovering the Heart of Guiscardo

with inscription 'Gio da San Gio' and numbered '89' (recto) and 'Fatum Ghismundae' on the mount; red chalk, pen and brown ink, brown wash, in an inscribed frame
162 x 145mm.

Provenance

C. Rogers (L. 624)
J. McGouan (L. 1496); T. Philipe, 31 January 1804, lot 86
W. Esdaile (L. 2617), his characteristic inscriptions '86 McGouan 1804 Giovanni.' and 'J M^c Gouan's sale 1804 WE. P⁶⁴. N 86. Formerly in the coll^. of Cha Rogers.' on the mount; Christie's, 18 June 1840, part of lot 117 (2/- 6d. to Sheath)

Lot Essay

An engraving by Carlo Gregori (1719-1739) after Giovanni di San Giovanni is recorded in Le Blanc, no. 38 ('Fatum Ghismundae: Gio. Manozzi. Petite p. de forme carrée'). The fact that the present drawing is both square and has the same title on the mount would suggest that Gregori engraved this study.
The subject is taken from Boccacio's Decameron. Ghismonda was the daughter of the prince Tancred; she was in love with a page of her father who decided to have the youth killed and sent his heart to Ghismonda in a large golden cup

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