Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino

Possibly Bartolomeo Fabri (1582–1646), Cento, 1621 (according to Malvasia 1678);

Anonymous sale, Paris, Aguttes, 18 June 2020, lot 73 (as Circle of Henri Lehmann);

Where acquired by the present owner.

Possibly C.C. Malvasia, Felsina Pittrice: Vite de Pittori Bolognesi, vol. II, Bologna 1678, p. 365 ('Un Christo avanti ad Anna, & Un S. Tomaso, che tocca la piaga à Christo al Sig. Bartolomeo Fabri').

Recently rediscovered, this work has been identified by David Stone and Daniele Benati as an important new addition to Guercino’s œuvre, dating from the pre-Roman period. It is the right-hand side of a composition originally depicting Christ before Annas painted for Bartolomeo Fabri (1582–1646) in 1621 (see Literature). The left-hand side of the work, solely depicting the figure of Annas, was recently sold at Sotheby's, London for £96,000.¹

A full-scale copy of the present work, prior to it being cut down, was recently on the art market as attributed to Bartolomeo Gennari.²

We are grateful to Daniele Benati and David M. Stone for independently endorsing the attribution to Guercino on the basis of digital images. Prof. Stone will be including the work in a forthcoming publication.

¹ Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 4 December 2024, lot 8; https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/old-master-19th-century-paintings-evening-auction-l24036/an-old-man-wearing-a-turban-and-a-fur-lined-coat

² Oil on canvas, 103 x 121 cm; https://www.rouillac.com/en/lot-311-92786-ecole_emilienne_du_xviie_entourage_du#pid=1