
Poppy Harvey-Jones
Head of Sale
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Sold for £21,250 inc. premium
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Head of Sale
Provenance
Sale, Christie's, Rome, 1 December 1998, lot 211 (wrongly reproduced as lot 218)
When offered in the 1998 sale in Rome, the present work was accompanied by a letter by Professor Ugo Ruggeri, in which the painting was given to Federico Cervelli. In the Rome auction, the painting was offered with a pendant, of similar dimensions, depicting Diana and Callisto (lot 218, although reproduced as lot 211).
Arriving in Venice in the mid 1660s, Cervelli was in fact a native of Milan. Most of his career was spent in the former city where he carried out work for both religious institutions and for the nobility. His work reveals the distinct influence of the elder Venetian artist, Pietro Liberi (1605-1687) but he demonstrates a lighter, more fluid touch which anticipates the rococo of the early 18th century in Venice.