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Res. Katalogtext: Description in Italian Paintings: Three Centuries of Collecting, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2015, cat.no. 88: 


FORMER INV. NOS.: 166 (M. 1796–97); 221 (F. 1798); 193 (M. 1804);
KM 802.

TECHNICAL NOTES: Labelled on verso: “Sirani Annunziata
Ovato”. The support consists of a single piece of thin, densely
woven, plain-weave linen fabric. It has been glued to hardboard
(marouflage), probably at the Nationalmuseum. The tacking edges
are cropped. The ground is red and covers the whole support.
The painting was originally oval, and has the remains of a painted
golden frame along the borders. Impastos such as brushstrokes
have been flattened due to the marouflage. There are numerous
old retouches and grey fillings that have not been inpainted. These
fillings are now covered by the frame and the painting is displayed
as circular. The varnish is yellowed.

PROVENANCE: Martelli 1804.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: NM Cat. 1867, p. 13 (as Elisabetta Sirani); Sander
1872–76, III, p.110, no. 193 (as Sirani); Göthe 1887, p. 245 (as Giovanni
Andrea Sirani); NM Cat. 1958, p. 233 (as anonymous, 17th century);
NM Cat. 1990, p. 145 (as Luca Giordano, manner of).

Given their close numbers in the original inventory
of the Martelli Collection, the present painting
and NM 183 (cat. no. 89) were probably kept
as companion pieces. They were both attributed
to the same artist, namely the Bolognese Giovanni
Andrea Sirani (1610–1670). This is further
confirmed by the original labelling on the reverse
of the canvases. The labels were switched, presumably
at a much later stage, so that the correct
label of NM 182 (“Sirani Gabriele Ovato”) ended
up on the back of NM 183. This explains why the
present painting bears an original, yet incorrect,
label as to its subject matter.

Martelli and his appraisers Stefano Tofanelli
and Domenico Corvi only specified the surname
of the artist. The first name, in its French form
“Jean André”, appears only in the inventory taken
in Stockholm on the basis of Martelli’s original
list. It is thus not possible to ascertain fully to
which of the Sirani painters Martelli, Tofanelli
and Corvi assigned the ovals.

Stylistic analysis and documentary evidence
offer a suggestion. Together, NM 182 and NM
183 form a charming unity composing the motif
of the Annunciation. This is clearly evidenced
in the angel’s energetic attitude and in the lilies,
symbols of innocence, in his hand. The Virgin,
as a result, poses in a humble attitude with
lowered head, leaving her eyes and gaze hidden
by shadows. The fluent, soft and luminous style
points to the oeuvre of Elisabetta Sirani, Giovanni
Andrea’s talented daughter who, despite her
early death, gained a much respected position
on the Bolognese artistic scene. Her dependence
on artists such as Giovanni Francesco Gessi
(1588–1649) and, in particular, Flaminio Torri
(1656–1700) is very evident from a comparison
of their works with NM 182 and NM 183.¹ An
important source regarding Elisabetta’s output
is the list that she wrote of her own work, which
was published after her death.² This detailed
document offers a fascinating insight into her
preferred subjects and formats, which apparently
also pleased her customers. Clearly, she specialized
in intimate sizes, quadri da stanza, that
could suit many pockets and spatial restrictions.
There are innumerable ovals and quadri da testa
with companions, forming themes of an intimate
character, often with religious or allegorical
motifs. An interesting annotation from 1662, two
years before her death, may shed light on the two
Nationalmuseum paintings: “A head of natural
size of an Angel as a companion to a head that I
have already made of the Blessed Virgin in the
same size, not knowing the owner.”³

Many of the artist’s commissioners were well
known to her and sometimes, as appears from
her careful account, they were of high rank. In
this particular case, the companion pieces went
on to unknown owners and, plausibly, into less
important collections. It is possible to advance
the hypothesis that the two paintings eventually
ended up on a market which, more than a
century later, would favour collectors like Nicola
Martelli.

The poor condition of the paintings does not
detract from their pictorial quality and historical
interest as examples of domestic religious art.
sne

1 La Pittura in Italia. Il Seicento, Milan, 1988, p. 888.
2 “Nota delle pitture fatte da me Elisabetta Sirani”, Malvasia
1841, pp. 393–400.
3 Malvasia 1841, p. 398: Una testa del naturale d’un Angelo per
compagno di una testa, che già feci d’una B.V. [Beata Vergine]
di simile grandezza non sapend’io il padrone.[End]

Foto: Erik Cornelius / Nationalmuseum 2012

Änglahuvud