Sebastiano Ricci (Belluno 1659-1734 Venice)

Annalisa Scarpa (op. cit.) suggests that the present lot may be a pendant to the Penitent Magdalen in the Schönborn Collection, Pommersfelden, given the closely matching measurements and the similarity in handling. It can be dated to the 1690s, a period of more marked experimentation in style, before Ricci left Venice to fulfil commissions in Florence, London and Paris. The notably loose, highly painterly brushwork, particularly in the rendering of the face and the left hand, may suggest a familiarity with the work of his Genoese contemporary, Alessandro Magnasco.