Lot 83: Rutilio Manetti (Siena 1571-1639)

Perseus and Andromeda
oil on canvas
25 3/4 x 17 3/4 in. (65.4 x 45.1 cm.)

Rutilio Manetti was a student of the late Mannerist artists, Francesco Vanni and Ventura Salimbeni, although the current work, datable to circa 1612, demonstrates the development of Manetti's style, especially in the clarity with which the subject is shown. The pentiments in the present picture suggest that it was a bozzetto for the larger composition in the Borghese Gallery (inv. no. 4). It shows the Ethiopian princess Andromeda, chained to a rock, doomed to be sacrificed to the approaching sea monster but for the appearance of her deliverer, Perseus, who can be seen in the distance riding the winged horse, Pegasus (Ovid, Metamorphoses, IV. 670-765).

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.