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Lot 9: Gregorio Preti, The incredulity of St. Thomas

Est: €15,000 EUR - €20,000 EURPassed
BibliopathosVerona, ItalyJuly 09, 2014

Item Overview

Description

GREGORIO PRETI AND WORKSHOP (attributed)
(Taverna, 1603-Rome, 1672)

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

Oil on canvas, 49,6 x 39,7 inches (126 x 101 cm), recent frame in antique style, carved and gilt.

Here it is the cold glow of a candle, rather than the oblique light of Caravaggio's paintings, that takes the characters out of the darkness.This seems to be the main feature of Gregorio Preti's personal Caravaggism, shown in this work as also in two other of Preti's canvases: Christ and theTribute Money and the Lamentation over the dead Christ. The dramatic use of the light is refined: the artist allows Christ and the Apostles to appear from the near-black background as figures emerging from dark water, their faces and bodies caressed by an impenetrable obscurity. Jesus, on the left, stares at Saint Thomas as a patient father looks at his stubborn child, while he touches the wound in his side. On the faces of the other Apostles are featured differing degrees of doubt, astonishment and curiosity.The dark nuances of Preti's palette lead us to place this painting in the early years of the artist's career, presumably before the 1640s, when he had been combining Neapolitan and Roman Caravaggism with interesting results. Moreover, no influence of the work of Mattia Preti, Gregorio's younger, but more famous brother, can be detected here, whereas it is a constant in his later paintings.

Certain facial identifications connect this canvas to Gregorio's works of the early 17th century. Christ's face in the Tribute Money's painting (sold at Christie's Rome, sale of the 4th december 2002 lot 475), for example, has very similar features to this very one, and the bald-headed apostle appears in several other works, such as the Christ disputing with the Doctors (National Gallery, London) and the canvas Susannah and the Elders (Vibo Valentia, private collection, see photo no.).

Gregorio Preti went to Rome from the South of Italy when he was very young in order to become a painter. His style was deeply influenced by the radical works of Caravaggio, both realistic and dramatic.Thus we can locate his early works half-way between Neapolitan Caravaggism and Roman Classicism. At some point in the 1630s, his younger brother Mattia joined him Rome and in a few years subsumed Gregorio's art. He became Mattia's best imitator and assistant until the end of his life. Gregorio's artistic importance and his strong relation with his brother have been recently researched and described in essays by John Spike.

Artist or Maker

Literature

J. T. Spike, (editor), Il taglio della luce. Il chiaroscuro nella pittura di Mattia e Gregorio Preti , catalogue of the exhibition of Viterbo, Palazzo degli Alessandri, 16 december 2004-30 January 2005; J. T. Spike, Gregorio Preti. I dipinti, i documenti , Firenze, Centro Di, 2003; R. Vodret and G. Leone (editors), Gregorio Preti, calabrese (1603-1672), un problema aperto , catalogue, Cinisello Balsamo, Silvana Editoriale, 2004; C. Carlino, Gregorio Preti, da Taverna a Roma (1603-1672) , Reggio Calabria, Iiriti Editore, 2003. Provenance : Private collection, Pavia. Note : The structure of the characters has a close kinship with the another Preti's painting with the same subject, sold at Christie's Milan, 29 November 2006, lot 69. Special Notice No buyer's premium will be charged on the hammer price. THIS LOT ALREADY HAS THE EXPORT LICENSE RELEASED BY THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE .

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Shipping

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Export Licenses
A license from the "Ministero dei Beni culturali" will be required before items of certain kinds may be exported from The time required to get the export documentation will vary from 7 to 40 days.

Auction Details

Old Master Paintings, Drawings and Engravings

by
Bibliopathos
July 09, 2014, 07:00 AM PST

via Enrico Toti, 1, Verona, 37129, IT

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From:To:Increment:
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€1,000€1,999€100
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€200,000€399,999€20,000
€400,000€599,999€50,000
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Payment is required by 7 days after the end of the auctions and will be accepted, if you are a successful bidder, by International Wire Transfer, Credit Card or Paypal.
Ownership of lots goes to the winner only after payment in full of the hammer price and the commissions for the rights of the auction. The winning bidders will not be allowed to withdraw the purchased items until the payment is successful,
In case of payment with Paypal, Bibliopathos will add an additional charge of 3% of the hammer price

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Shipping
Bibliopathos will take care of shipping, please contact our Shipping Department for more Information and quotations. International Buyers are responsible for all import/export duties and taxes. An invoice stating the actual purchase price will accompany all international purchases.

Export Licenses
A license from the "Ministero dei Beni culturali" will be required before items of certain kinds may be exported from The time required to get the export documentation will vary from 7 to 40 days.

Premium

All items have 0% commissions on hammer price: the amount to pay will be exactly your winning bid.

Taxes

No Taxes have to be added to hammer price.