Lot 49: OTTAVIO VANNINI (Florence 1585-1644)

David with the Head of Goliath oil on canvas 513/4 x 39 7/8 in. (131.4 x 101.2 cm.) NOTES Born in 1585, Ottavio Vannini was apprenticed to Domenico Passignano (1559-1638) in his native city of Florence. With his master's departure for Rome in 1602, he remained in his workshop, now under the direction of Pietro Sorri (1556-1621/2), and in 1605 executed one of his first commissions by completing the decoration of the Brunaccini Chapel in the church of the Santissima Annunziata, Florence. Shortly thereafter Vannini probably moved to Rome himself to work as Passignano's assistant. Although this makes it difficult to distinguish the younger artist's own works from those of his master, he nonetheless gradually developed a personal style based on his study there of such sixteenth-century masters of classicism as Raphael and Michelangelo. Returning to Florence in 1616, he matriculated at the Accademia del Disegno two years later, whereafter he was involved in a number of major decorative cycles in his native city for the Medici family. In 1622-23 he worked alongside Matteo Rosselli at the Villa di Poggio Imperiale, where he decorated the vaults of the Sala di Cosimo II and the Sala di Francesco I in the Casino Mediceo. His most famous commission, however, was the completion of the decoration of the Salone degli Argenti in the Palazzo Pitti, which had been left unfinished by Giovanni di San Giovanni: between 1638 and 1644, he painted a number of frescoes there, the most famous being Lorenzo the Magnificent among the Florentine artists. Here the clarity of composition, purity of color and strong draughtmanship reveal his preference for the classical over the Baroque and recall such cinquecento masters as Andrea del Sarto. Although Vannini worked extensively for the Medici family, his most important patron was the Florentine Andrea del Rosso (1570-1644), for whom he frescoed the private chapel (now destroyed) at his palace in the Via Chiara and executed at least 14 paintings, among which may be counted some of his finest works, such as The Gathering of the Manna and Moses Drawing water from the Rock (both in private collections, Florence). Vannini depicted the subject of David on a number of occasions, including a small David with the Head of Goliath (211/4 x 17 in., Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence) and a Triumph of David (483/4 x 65 in., Hermitage, Saint Petersburg). A larger version of the Hermitage picture was sold at Tajan, Paris, 30 June 2000, lot 9 (673/4 x 83 in.), and the head of the Goliath in both works is identical to that in the present composition. Another David is listed in an inventory dated 2 May 1705 of the possessions of Carlo Lorenzo Ughi (1634-1705), resident in Palazzo Ughi on via Larga, Florence: 'Un quadro di braccia 11/2, con cornice nera e di oro, rapresentante David, opera del Vannino.' (see G. Corti, 'La collezione Ughi in Firenze nel 1705', Paragone, September 1980, p. 73). The dimensions of the Ughi painting (11/2 bracci is the equivalent of about 34 inches) suggest, however, that it should not be identified with the present composition, which measures 513/4 x 39 7/8 inches. The present David may be dated to the end of Vannini's life, in the early 1640s. The facial features of the young hero can also be found in many of the young men in the large fresco of Lorenzo the Magnificent among the Florentine artists (see above), which was executed between 1638-1644. Stylistically it is also close to the powerful Jael and Sisera in the Seminario Maggiore, Florence, which has been dated to the 1640s (see Chiara d'Afflitto, in the exhibition catalogue, Il Seicento Fiorentino, Florence, 1986-1987, Pittura, pp. 236-237, no. 1.110, illustrated). In both works, the protagonists are set dramatically against a dark background, with sleeves rolled-up and tightly bunched around the elbows to suggest their physical efforts. Yet for all the drama implied by the events depicted, there is a sense of restraint evident in the calm, abstracted gazes of the figures and the static, sculptural quality of their poses. Arguably it is the high quality of the draughtmanship that is the most striking and impressive aspect of all three works. This confers on the figures a certain majesty and monumentality, which, in the case of the present work, thoroughly befits the heroic status of David as the young king of Israel. We are grateful to Dr. Francesca Baldassari for confirming the attribution to Vannini on the basis of a transparency and a black and white photograph (private communication, 23 June 2001).