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Lot Essay
This recently rediscovered Head of Saint John the Baptist, executed with charged, controlled brushwork, belongs to a series of paintings by Daniele Crespi depicting decapitated martyrs. The artist’s attention to anatomy and realism is evident in the Baptist’s pallid complexion and serene expression, as well as in the precise rendering of muscles and veins. Despite his limited output, Crespi’s brief yet influential career—cut short by the plague in 1630 at the age of 32—helped shape the development of Lombard painting by bridging the Mannerist influence of Correggio with the emerging Baroque style.
According to an inscription on the reverse of the panel, Camillo Schiavini—podestà of Crema from 1835 to 1837—acquired the painting in Milan in 1851 for 230 Milanese lire from the Dugnani estate. The Dugnani family were prominent patrons of the arts in Milan during the 18th and 19th centuries, and their collection—encompassing Old Masters, antiquities, and rare manuscripts—was dispersed after the death of Marchesa Teresa Dugnani in the mid-19th century. Schiavini’s own collection included notable treasures such as Antonio Canova’s Terpsichore (acquired from the illustrious Sommariva collection) and even a fragment of the Parthenon, obtained during a trip to Constantinople in 1840. He later bequeathed his extensive library and other cultural assets to the hospital in Crema.
We are grateful to Francesco Frangi for endorsing the attribution of the present work to Daniele Crespi on the basis of photographs (written communication, 19 January 2025).
According to an inscription on the reverse of the panel, Camillo Schiavini—podestà of Crema from 1835 to 1837—acquired the painting in Milan in 1851 for 230 Milanese lire from the Dugnani estate. The Dugnani family were prominent patrons of the arts in Milan during the 18th and 19th centuries, and their collection—encompassing Old Masters, antiquities, and rare manuscripts—was dispersed after the death of Marchesa Teresa Dugnani in the mid-19th century. Schiavini’s own collection included notable treasures such as Antonio Canova’s Terpsichore (acquired from the illustrious Sommariva collection) and even a fragment of the Parthenon, obtained during a trip to Constantinople in 1840. He later bequeathed his extensive library and other cultural assets to the hospital in Crema.
We are grateful to Francesco Frangi for endorsing the attribution of the present work to Daniele Crespi on the basis of photographs (written communication, 19 January 2025).