Lot 22: Giovanni Antonio Galli, called Lo Spadarino (Rome 1585-after 1651/3)

Giovanni Antonio Galli, called Lo Spadarino (Rome 1585-after 1651/3)
Ecce Homo
oil on canvas
37½ x 52 in. (95.3 x 132.1 cm.)

G. Papi, Spadarino, Rome, 2003, p. 127, no. 11, pl. XXII.

Bought in Madrid by the grandfather of the present owners, in 1918, and by descent.

THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN FAMILY
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Described by Papi (loc. cit.) as 'one of the most important additions to the artist's oeuvre', and 'a masterpiece', this Ecce Homo is considered an early work, probably from the second decade of the 17th century. Papi points out Spadarino's characteristic treatment of Pilate's drapery, closely comparable to that of one of the main protagonists in his Christ among the Doctors in the Palazzo Reale, Naples, and of his Penitent Magdalen in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. He also points to the similarity of Christ's torso in this picture to that in the artist's Guardian Angel, in San Ruffo, Rieti. In many ways a close follower of Caravaggio, Spadarino here paints a work of concentrated simplicity, but creates more of a contemplative mood as two of the protagonists, the turbanned Pilate and the man behind - who Papi suggests is the artist's self-portrait - beckon the viewer to judge the humiliation of Christ.