(San Gimignano 1605–1660 Florence)
The Adoration of the Magi,
oil on canvas, 130 x 110 cm, framed

Provenance:
Aristocratic collection, Florence

Literature:
S. Benassai, Il collezionismo dei Bardi: nuove acquisizioni per Felice Ficherelli, in: Paragone 43, 2002, pp. 41-42, tav. 29;
S. Benassai, Su Felice Ficherelli juvenilia e altre novità, in: Paragone 77, 2008, pp. 52-66, tav. 45;
F. Baldassari, La Pittura del Seicento a Firenze. Indice degli artisti e delle loro opere, Torino 2009, p. 361 (mentioned under “Florence, private collections”)

We are grateful to Francesca Baldassari for confirming the attribution after seeing the painting in the original and for her help in cataloguing this lot.

The sumptuous scene of the Adoration of the Magi takes place in a simple and tranquil setting, reminiscent of the sixteenth century. The richness of the gifts offered to baby Jesus match the richness of the colours used in the painting – the yellow garment of the kneeling King, the ultramarine blue of Mary’s dress and the hose of the young King standing on the far right, wrapped in a precious purple cape in homage to Jacopo da Empoli and Cristofano Allori. The depiction of the Virgin’s profile makes a clear reference to the works of Andrea del Sarto well before Lorenzo Lippi, while the bearded face of the King in the foreground can be compared with his depiction in the works of Jacopo Vignali and his young disciple Carlo Dolci. The young man standing near Joseph can be regarded as a signature figure by Felice Ficherelli who, considering the style of the painting, is definitely the author of this magnificent canvas. The painting was most probably destined for a private collector, and this is indicated by the luxurious frame which dates back to the same time period. Ficherelli is a splendid artist who is still unrecognised on an international level. A comparison must be made between the profiles and folded drapery in his early work and those in Tobia restituisce la vista al padre (privately owned), a painting chosen to represent the artist at the great exhibition which was dedicated to seventeenth-century Florence and held in Palazzo Strozzi in Florence from 1986-1987.

Thanks to the fundamentally-important Notizia (1681-1728), dedicated by biographer Filippo Baldinucci to Ficherelli, we know he left his native San Gimignano in the 1620s for Florence under the protection of the art collector and music enthusiast Alberto de’ Bardi from Vernio. Alberto de’Bardi welcomed him to his palace in the Oltrarno area and entrusted him to Master Jacopo da Empoli, an artist who ran one of the most successful workshops in the Grand Duchy capital. This apprenticeship was decisive and left lasting traces in the style of Ficherelli, as we can clearly see in the present Adoration. The artist went down in history under the nickname of ‘Riposo’ (Restful) for his easy-going and peaceful nature.

The present painting was probably painted between the late 1620s and the early 1630s, before Ficherelli approached the more sensual and softer language of Francesco Furini, who is known for creating masterpieces of sensuality and drama like Tarquinio e Lucrezia, which is displayed at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome.