Giovanni Domenico Cerrini (Italian, 1609-1681)

Born in Perugia, Giovanni Domenico Cerrini moved to Rome in the mid-1630s. In 1656 he worked in Florence for the Medici and remained there until October 1661. Most of his paintings are undated. His style, first influenced by Bolognese classicism then by the work of Carlo Maratta, did not changed greatly during the years. A chronology based on stylistic grounds seems hard to establish. The present painting carries the main characteristics of Cerrini's style: the clear and unitary composition, the almost statuesque postures of the figures and the softness of the chiaroscuro. In the catalogue of the Cerrini exhibition in Perugia Francesco Mancini writes that he considers the present picture 'di inconfondibile autografia cerriniana' and links it with the works of the Florentine period, such as Judith and Holofernes, (Navarre, private collection; cat. no. 46, pp. 204-5) and Woman carrying eggs (Florence, Galleria Corsini; cat. no. 47, pp. 206-7), both dated to early 1660s. Among the artist's personal belongings there was a Head of Apollo (Appendix no. 56) that the author believes to be a study for the present painting or a partial replica of it.