Padre Sebastiano Resta, Milan (1635-1714); acquired from him by Giovanni Matteo Marchetti, Bishop of Arezzo (1647-1704); purchased from his heirs by John Talman (1677-1726), 1711, on behalf of John, Lord Somers (1650-1716); his estate sale, Motteu (London), 6 May 1717; purchased there by Jonathan Richardson, the elder, London (1665-1745), L.2183, L.2983, L.2992 and L.2995/2996; his estate sale, Christopher Cock (London), 22 January - 8 February 1747, part of lot 39 on the tenth night; Thomas Hudson, London (1701-1779), L.2432; possibly any number of lots (described very vaguely but several list drawings by Maratta) at his estate sale, Langford (Covent Garden), 15-27 March 1779 or possibly his estate sale, Christie’s (London), 25 – 26 February 1785, lot 81 (just listed as 2 drawings by C. Maratti); if at the 1785 sale, purchased there by Halliday (?); Sir Joshua Reynolds, London (1723-1792), L.3016a; his estate sale, H. Phillips (London), 5 - 22 March 1798, lot 1887; R.E.A. Wilson (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, 1935 (£4); Witt Bequest 1952

Oxford Arts Club, Oxford, 1929

Watermark: Watermarks: Recto, right centre edge: a circle, just cut off by the edge, unable to see what it contains due to the mount. Mount (historic): composed of at least two sheet, an inner sheet with mark and countermark “IV” at upper centre and a fleur-de-lis at lower centre, and the same marks with positions reversed on the outermost verso layer of the mount.

Inscription: Mount (historic), Recto: upper right corner, brown ink: “329."; lower centre edge, red ink, Richardson the elder’s hand (L.2995/2996): “Carlo Maratti"; lower left corner, brown ink: “2"; lower left, graphite, erased: “6[...]"; lower right, graphite, faded and hard to read: “10 1/2 £4 / Lot 717[?] y/y-". Mount (historic), Verso: upper left corner, graphite: “No. 44"; upper right, graphite: “24x19"; upper centre, brown ink, shelfmarks in Richardson the elder’s hand (L.2983): “DD. 21. / EE. 301. / F.a. 4. / K. 401. / Ka. 2. / 4. / N."; centre, brown ink, Richardson the elder's hand transcribing from the life of the artist as first copied by Padre Resta (L.2992): “Egli ha dato ancora compimento all’istoria di Bersabea inviz[rest of this word crossed out] per Germania al Signor Principe / Giovanni Adamo Andrea Principe del Sacro Romano Impero, Gubernatore della Casa Lichtenstein, e Nicols / -purgh. Siede Bersabea in riva all’acqua di una Fonte servita da due Damigelle, e quasi sorta dal Bagno / con un mano tiene il Crine disciolto, con l’altra il pettine per distinguerlo ed Acconciarlo. Nel qual atto as- / -conde il Seno in un Velo di color Celeste, e ritenendo ancora un piede nell’onde, solleva l’altro sopra il Ginocchio / d’una Ancella, che con un pannolino terge lievemente la Gamba umida, e molle. Incontro una Damigella / con ambe le mani regge lo Specchio riccamente fregiato d’oro intorno, a cui Bersabea si volge rimirando il suo / bel Volto nel pulitto Vetro consigliero della sua Belezza. La Fonte di Bianco marmo versa da una conca / l’acque cadenti, a cui fa vago piede un Delfino, fra vedute di Amenissimo Giardino, e circondato da una / Balaustrata, ove Bersabea soggiorna sopra morbido Origliero, che le fa Letto, ascosta, e sicura dalla vista / di ciascuno, ma no’ dagli occhi del Re mal saggio, che dall’alto d’una Loggia la rimira. / B. Mori, Vita di Carlo Maratti 22 [the number circled in graphite] / in 1693 or thereabt."; lower centre, graphite: “No 3"; lower right corner, brown ink, smudged, underlined twice: “T M"; lower right corner, red ink, crossed through by the underlines of the above inscription, Reynold's sale number (L.3016a): “Lot 1887".

Collector's mark: Recto: lower left corner, stamped in black: Thomas Hudson (L.2432); lower right corner, stamped in black: Jonathan Richardson, the elder (L.2183); lower right corner (over L.2183), stamped in black: Sir Joshua Reynolds (L.2364). Mount (historic), Recto: lower left corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b); lower centre edge, written in red: Jonathan Richardson, the elder (L.2995), transcribed above. Mount (historic), Verso: upper centre, written in brown: Jonathan Richardson the elder (L.2983), transcribed above; centre, written in brown: Jonathan Richardson the elder (L.2992), transcribed above; lower right corner, written in red: Sir Joshua Reynolds (L.3016a), transcribed above.