Jusepe de Ribera, called Lo Spagnoletto

Possibly Cardinal Scipione Cobelluzzi (1564–1626), Rome;

Possibly by inheritance to the Jesuits of Viterbo;

Possibly by whom sold, in 1626, for 22 scudi;

Antoine Marie Ferdinand de Maussion de Candé, Governor of Martinique (1801–1867), Martinique and Ardèche (according to an inscription on the reverse).

Possibly F. Nicolai, 'La collezione di quadri del cardinale Scipione Cobelluzzi. Cavarozzi, Grammatica e Ribera in un inventario inedito del 1626', in Studi romani, vol. 52, 2004, pp. 452–53 and 457.

This hitherto unpublished painting constitutes an important addition to Ribera's early output. Executed when the young artist was working in Rome, circa 1613–16, the rediscovered canvas compares closely with other examples dating to a similar period, including the Saint Jerome in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest,¹ and the Saint Peter in the Pinacoteca Nacional, Cosenza.² All three of these paintings exhibit rapid handling and a parallel degree of attention to detail.

The popularity of present composition is attested by at least two extant copies, both of which are attributed to Cesare Fracanzano (1605–1651): one is in the church of Santa Maria di Nazareth, Barletta, and the other was offered at Sibylia, Seville, in October 2018.³

Note on Provenance

A mention of a 'Quadro di S. Pietro chepiange dello Spagnolo' ('Painting of St. Peter weeping by the Spaniard') is found on a notarial deed concerning the 1626 sale of some paintings previously owned by Cardinal Scipione Cobelluzzi, which had been inherited by the Jesuits of Viterbo upon his death.⁴ Although this vague description and the lack of recorded dimensions for Cobelluzzi's picture make a certain identification impossible, the subject of the present painting and its early date certainly render it a contender.

We are grateful to Dottore Gianni Papi for endorsing the attribution to Ribera on the basis of first-hand inspection. Dottore Papi has produced a study on this picture, a copy of which is available upon request.

¹ Inv. no. 73.3; oil on canvas, 123.5 x 95.5 cm.

² Oil on canvas, 129.5 x 98 cm.

³ Oil on canvas, 127 x 98 cm. Seville, Sibylia, 24 October 2018, lot 265.

⁴ F. Nicolai, 'La collezione di quadri del cardinale Scipione Cobelluzzi. Cavarozzi, Grammatica e Ribera in un inventario inedito del 1626', in Studi romani, vol. 52, 2004, pp. 452–53 and 457.