Monsù Desiderio

Possibly Cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763–1839), Rome (according to an inscription on the reverse);

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby Parke Bernet, 20 March 1982, lot 7 (as Venetian School, 17^th century);

With Galerie Kugel, Paris;

From whom acquired by a private collector, Paris, in 1993;

By whom sold anonymously, Paris, Artcurial, 13 November 2013, lot 60 (as attributed to Didier Barra);

Where acquired by the present owners.

Possibly Catalogue des tableaux composant la Galerie du Feu Son Eminence le Cardinal Fesch, Rome 1841, p. 126, no. 3194 (as ‘Portiques d'un Palais; ils sont d'une belle lumière et bien rendus.’; with incorrect dimensions).

Monsù Desiderio is the name formerly given to what was believed to be a single artist active in Naples during the early 17^th century, who painted architectural scenes in a distinctive style. Today, at least two artists are known to have worked under the pseudonym: François de Nomé (1593–after 1620) and Didier Barra (1590–1656), both of whom hailed from Metz. Although this painting has previously been attributed to Barra (see Provenance), few examples of his work are known. This, combined with the similarities between Barra and de Nomé's style and the fact that the two artists collaborated on occasion, makes concrete attributions challenging.

Note on Provenance

An inscription on the reverse of the canvas associates this painting with Cardinal Joseph Fesch, the half-brother of Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte (1750–1836), mother of the future Napoleon Bonaparte, later known as Napoleon I (1769–1821). Fesch's private collection, of which the finest pieces were kept in the Palazzo Falconieri, Via Giulia, Rome, is said to have numbered over 16,000 works and was probably the largest of its day.