Lot 211: The Judgement of Solomon

Jacopo Vignali (Pratovecchio 1592-1664 Florence).
The Judgement of Solomon
signed and dated 'JAC. VIGNALI.F.1632.' (lower right, on the step)
oil on canvas
81 x 93¾ in. (205.8 x 238.3 cm.)

Private collection, Stuttgart.
Anonymous sale; van Marle & Bignell, The Hague, 19 June 1956.

We are grateful to Dr. Francesca Baldassari confirming the attribution, on inspection of the original, and for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.

A preparatory drawing for this composition is now in the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe of the Uffizi, Florence, no. 15265 F (published in Ewald, op. cit. , p. 10). In this sketch, the foreground figures are highly finished while those in the background are only suggested in outline. The composition as a whole is quite developed, bearing close resemblance to the finished painting.

The lady in the central foreground and the man wearing a turban beyond may be portraits of the donors, a practice that was popular among Florentine patrons of the period.