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Lot Essay
This striking and dramatic panel is an important addition to the oeuvre of Leonardo da Pistoia. Born in Pistoia in 1503, Leonardo is documented as having worked in Lucca, Naples and in Rome, where he was the student and collaborator of Gianfrancesco Penni, a former assistant of Raphael. In Rome, Leonardo absorbed the influence of Raphael and his followers, while also coming under the sway of the dominant artistic trend of the day in Florence, the so-called maniera, whose grace and sensuous artificiality characterize Leonardo’s best works.
Leonardo executed several paintings of the heroines of Antiquity over the course of his career. Although he repeated the subject of Lucretia taking her own life on several occasions, the present painting far outshines all other examples by the artist that survive. Indeed, the attribution of the present panel to Leonardo Grazia has been confirmed by Dr. Louis Waldman, who believes that this picture ‘deserves to be considered Leonardo’s most important and ambitious work—his masterpiece—and reveals an unheralded depth of expression that parallels the work of Tuscan maniera painters such as Rosso Fiorentino’ (private communication, 1 March 2017). Compared to Leonardo’s other depictions of Lucretia, this outstanding example is notable for its impressively dynamic composition, rich colors, dramatic use of light and shadow, and beautiful details in the coiffure, tassels, hilt of the sword, and drapery.
We are grateful to Dr. Louis Waldman for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.
Leonardo executed several paintings of the heroines of Antiquity over the course of his career. Although he repeated the subject of Lucretia taking her own life on several occasions, the present painting far outshines all other examples by the artist that survive. Indeed, the attribution of the present panel to Leonardo Grazia has been confirmed by Dr. Louis Waldman, who believes that this picture ‘deserves to be considered Leonardo’s most important and ambitious work—his masterpiece—and reveals an unheralded depth of expression that parallels the work of Tuscan maniera painters such as Rosso Fiorentino’ (private communication, 1 March 2017). Compared to Leonardo’s other depictions of Lucretia, this outstanding example is notable for its impressively dynamic composition, rich colors, dramatic use of light and shadow, and beautiful details in the coiffure, tassels, hilt of the sword, and drapery.
We are grateful to Dr. Louis Waldman for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.