Live Auction 21481Old Master and 19th Century Prints
GIOVANNI BENEDETTO CASTIGLIONE (1609-1669)
Lot 90 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE NORWEGIAN COLLECTION

GIOVANNI BENEDETTO CASTIGLIONE (1609-1669)

Head of a Man wearing a feathered Cap (possibly Portrait of Bernini, possibly a Self-Portrait), from: Large Oriental Heads

Closed24 January 2023

Price Realised

USD 7,560

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GIOVANNI BENEDETTO CASTIGLIONE (1609-1669)
Head of a Man wearing a feathered Cap (possibly Portrait of Bernini, possibly a Self-Portrait), from: Large Oriental Heads
etching, circa 1645–50, on laid paper, without watermark, a very fine impression of the first state (of three), printing with much plate tone, wiping marks and inky plate edges, with narrow margins, in very good condition
Plate 187 x 135 mm.
Sheet 190 x 138 mm.

With Christopher Mendez, London.
Acquired from the above in 2006; then by descent to the present owner.

Specialist note

This charming portrait, from the series of the Large Oriental Heads, was made by Castiglione in his maturity and shows the influence of Northern examples and Rembrandt's etchings. The identification of the sitter has been widely debated: is it a self-portrait or a portrait of the Roman sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini? It seems that still no consensus between scholars has been reached. The intense gaze of the man captivates the viewer's attention, and 'the floppy beret and plumed feather add a touch of theatrical exotica that would suggest to Castiglione's erudite views, familiar with iconologies or dictionaries of signs and symbols, that he possessed furia (intensely driven creative energies)'. (T. J. Standring, M. Clayton, Castiglione -The Lost Genius, 2013, London, p. 65.)
The present impression is a particularly fine and atmospheric impression, with much plate tone and wiping marks, suggesting an early printing in the artist's workshop.