Lot 172: Portrait of a cleric, bust-length

Vittore Ghislandi, called Fra Galgario (Bergamo 1655-1743)
Portrait of a cleric, bust-length
with inventory number '332' (lower left); inscribed 'P. Paolotto px.' on the reverse
oil on canvas, unlined
25¾ x 20¼ in. (65.5 x 51.5 cm.)

Field Marshal Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg (1661-1747), probably among the works by Fra Galgario purchased in 1737, by whom bequeathed to his nephew,sa, Hanover, Niedersdchsisches Staatsarchiv, Christian Günther von der Schulenburg, Berlin, and by descent to the present owner.

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR (Lots 172-177)

Johann Matthias, Count von der Schulenberg (1661-1747) was appointed Field Marshal of the Venetian armies in 1715 and remained in the service of the Republic until his death, by which date he owned some 957 items, including paintings, drawings and sculpture. He was the greatest single patron of contemporary Venetian painters, owning notable groups of works by Piazzetta, the Ricci and Pittoni and of views by Canaletto, Marieschi and Bellotto.

The collection was kept in Schulenburg's Venetian residence, the Palazzo Loredan a San Trevaso, with selected items sent to Germany in the years 1736-1740. The Schulenburg collection is well-documented by a number of inventories, which often record valuations made by the Professori of Venice, a group of art experts that included Giovanni Battista Pittoni (1687-1767) and Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (1682-1754).


'Fra' or 'Padre Paolotto' were among the aliases given to Ghislandi, and it is under these names that he appears in the Schulenburg inventories. Schulenburg made regular purchases of head studies and half-lengths by Ghislandi between 13 February and 15 December 1737 (see Binion, op. cit. , pp. 153-157).