Attributed to Paolo Guidotti, called Il Cavaliere Borghese (Lucca 1560-Rome 1629)

Previously given to Annibale Carracci by Dr. Stephen Pepper (J. A. Lewis, loc. cit.), this dynamic composition showing the murder of Abel by his brother, Cain, has been tentatively reattributed to the Caravaggesque artist, Paolo Guidotti by Dr. Michele Nicolaci (loc. cit.). Guidotti was an accomplished painter, architect, poet and sculptor. He received the title of cavaliere and the appellation 'Borghese' from Pope Paul V Borghese, soon after completing an ambitious six-figure sculptural group for Cardinal Scipione Borghese. Scant records survive documenting his paintings and today very few are given to the artist in full. The present work exhibits stylistic and compositional parallels with Jacob’s Dream, previously in a private collection, Rome, which was given to Guidotti by Federico Zeri in 1987.