Lot 3: PIETRO BENVENUTI It. 1769 -1844

PIETRO BENVENUTI It. 1769 -1844 Portrait of a Lady (Elisa Bonaparte?) Signed "P. Benvenuti" l.r. Oil on canvas 28 1/4 × 22 3/4 in.(71.8 × 57.8 cm)

28 1/4 × 22 3/4 in.(71.8 × 57.8 cm)

Oil on canvas

Exhibited Painting and Sculptures 1770-1830, Autumn Exhibition, September 11-December 21, 1972, Heim Gallery, London, illustrated #19

Provenance: Heim Gallery, London. To the current owner. The property of Peter Walch, Portland, Maine.

From the above catalogue entry: This portrait has been traditionally believed to represent Napoleon's sister, Elisa, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, whom Benvenuti painted several times. This iconographical attribution is only partly convincing, and though in his autobiography Benvenuti lists most of his important portraits, lack of published material makes a positive identification impossible (cf. V. Viviani, Le Opere del piftore Aretino Pietro Benvenuti, in: Arezzo e gli Aretini, ed. V. Viviani, Arezzo 1921, pp. 178-190).