1 / 2
Live
Premium CARAVAGGESQUE PAINTER OF THE XVII CENTURY
Ecce Homo
Oil on s…
See original version (Italian)
CARAVAGGESQUE PAINTER OF THE XVII CENTURY
Ecce Homo
Oil on s…
See original version (Italian)
Lot no. 60
Description
CARAVAGGESQUE PAINTER OF THE XVII CENTURY
Ecce Homo
Oil on slate, 48X48 cm
Provenance:
Palermo, private collection
Coming from an important Sicilian collection, this work is taken from a painting recently recognised as Caravaggio's, the dating of which has been the subject of conflicting analyses, but probably placed at the master's extreme activity. Three ancient copies of this composition are also known, including one published by Roberto Longhi in 1954, who intuited its Caravaggio matrix (cf. R. Longhi, L'Ecce Homo del Caravaggio a Genova..., Paragone 1954, no. 51, pp. 3-14). Having said this, the presence in Sicily of copies with variants suggesting direct knowledge of the work is significant, to which was added a version in a private collection in Rome reported by Calvesi, which was in turn taken up by Maurizio Marini by reporting an Ecce Homo by Minniti signed and dated 1625, kept in Malta Cathedral. Two derivations are also known to have passed through the Milanese market and one acquired in a Kent auction a few decades ago and now in a private English collection. Returning to the version under examination, its execution on slate is interesting, which would designate the author's probable Genoese origin, a fact not surprising given the economic interests of many Ligurian families in Sicily. In fact, historical research has revealed a dense network of contacts between Sicily and Genoa, maintained by people of Genoese origin, such as Desiderio Segno, who commissioned Van Dyck in Sicily, and Orazio Lomellini. As regards the trade of works, an important role was played by the Flemish painter Geronimo Gerardi, twice consul in Trapani and correspondent of Cornelio De Wael (cf. A. Gesino, Tracce di Matthias Stom nel collezionismo tra la Sicilia e Genova, in Caravaggio e i genovesi, exhibition catalogue edited by A. Orlando, Genoa 2019, pp. 182-195).
Reference bibliography:
M. C. Terzaghi, Caravaggio 2025, exhibition catalogue edited by F. Cappelletti and M. C. Terzaghi, Venice 2025, pp. 252-255 (with previous bibliography)
See original version (Italian)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits:
Contact organization
Delivery methods
You may also like