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Lot Essay
Although originally a pupil of Domenichino, Giovanni Francesco Romanelli was most deeply influenced by Pietro da Cortona, with whom he is documented in 1631 as working on the decoration of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome. The Barberini became important patrons of the young artist, who notably received commissions from Pope Urban VIII (born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini) for works in the Vatican and Saint Peter’s. In 1639 Romanelli was elected to the prestigious position of Director of the Accademia di San Luca, but the death five years later of Urban VIII led to a decline in the Barberinis’ power, and Romanelli was forced to seek commissions elsewhere. This led to his becoming the protégé of Cardinal Mazarin, influential first minister of France, at whose request he travelled to Paris first in 1646-47 and again in 1655-57 to decorate the Louvre’s Salle des Saisons for Anne of Austria, Queen Regent, and the Palais Mazarin (now the Bibliothèque Nationale). At the time of the 2008 sale, Dr. Ursula Fischer Pace dated the work to circa 1654-1657, observing that the palette was characteristic of the artist’s second stay in France.
As suggested by the turban, this painting represents one of the twelve Sibyls, prophetesses who were highly regarded in the Ancient Greco-Roman religion. Over time, the Sibyls became one of the most symbolic images of Baroque art; they allowed artists to depict idealised female figures, combining classical tradition and rich oriental attire with great sensuality. Here, an ethereal Sibyl directs her gaze away from the viewer; her face, bathed in light, stands in contrast to the shadowy landscape, possibly symbolising her enlightened state. The ivy on the tree in the background is a long-standing symbol of immortality and may refer to Christ’s coming, a prophecy that, according to some early Christian interpretations of Virgil’s Fourth Eclogue, was itself announced by a Sibyl. The prophecies of the Sibyls were supposedly recorded in the so-called Sibylline Books, on which the figure leans in the present composition. In its play of light and dark, the present painting is comparable to another Sybil by the artist now in the Borghese Gallery, Rome (inv. 51).
As suggested by the turban, this painting represents one of the twelve Sibyls, prophetesses who were highly regarded in the Ancient Greco-Roman religion. Over time, the Sibyls became one of the most symbolic images of Baroque art; they allowed artists to depict idealised female figures, combining classical tradition and rich oriental attire with great sensuality. Here, an ethereal Sibyl directs her gaze away from the viewer; her face, bathed in light, stands in contrast to the shadowy landscape, possibly symbolising her enlightened state. The ivy on the tree in the background is a long-standing symbol of immortality and may refer to Christ’s coming, a prophecy that, according to some early Christian interpretations of Virgil’s Fourth Eclogue, was itself announced by a Sibyl. The prophecies of the Sibyls were supposedly recorded in the so-called Sibylline Books, on which the figure leans in the present composition. In its play of light and dark, the present painting is comparable to another Sybil by the artist now in the Borghese Gallery, Rome (inv. 51).