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Sheet of figure studies for 'The Judgment of Paris'

Maker

(artist)
1625-1713

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1619-1690

Title

Sheet of figure studies for 'The Judgment of Paris'

Date of Production

(circa) 1661

Medium

red, black and white chalk on buff laid paper, with black chalk framing lines

Dimensions

Height: 27.1 cm
Width: 41.7 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.507

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords





Notes

A preparatory study for the painting The Judgment of Paris, executed in collaboration with the landscape painter Gaspar Dughet (1615-1675), now housed in the Galleria Colonna, Rome. The painting was commissioned by the prince Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna (1637-1689), ‘Gran Connestabile’ of the Naples Kingdom, on the occasion of his marriage in 1661 with Maria Mancini, niece of cardinal Giulio Mazzarino (1602-1661), who arranged this union in order to ban the beautiful Maria from Paris and from the French Court, as young Louis XIV had fallen in love with her. It must have been Prince Colonna who suggested the iconography, as he wanted to be presented as Paris, while he chose for himself the most beautiful of the goddesses, Venus, resembling the nude Mancini.

Provenance

F.R. Meatyard (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, n.d. (£1.05, as by le Brun); Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Special Display - The Grid, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 26/01/2012-28/05/2012

Literature

Rodinò, Simonetta Prosperi Valenti, 'Two Drawings by Carlo Maratti in the Courtauld Gallery, London' in 'Master Drawings', Winter 2021 - pp. 467-98; LIX, 4
pp. 467-68, 470-73
Illus. no. 4

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: centre: oval containing a cross above “IHS” (no exact match found in Heawood or Piccard).

Inscription: Verso: lower right corner, graphite: “ms/”.

Collector's mark: Verso: lower right corner, stamped in black ink: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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