Mattia Bortoloni (Italian, 1696-1750) Portrait of an astronomer, half-length Tempera on canvas 18-1/2 x 15-1/4 inches (47.0 x 38.7 cm) PROVENANCE: Collection of Giancarlo Baroni; His estate sale: Sotheby's, New York, January 29, 2013, lot 12; Private collection, Chicago, Illinois, acquired from the above. On the occasion of the 2013 sale of this work, the attribution to Bortoloni was endorsed by Dr. Fabrizio Malachin on the basis of photographs. At first glance this marvelous characterization of an astronomer catching our gaze evokes in its magical softness, assured draftsmanship, and rococo palette the work of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. But instead, it is the work of the gifted prodigy Mattia Bortoloni, an exact contemporary and rival of Tiepolo, who enjoyed a considerable reputation during his lifetime for his monumental frescoes painted throughout northern Italy. Over the course of centuries his works were unfortunately often misattributed or credited to others, including Tiepolo, distorting a true picture of his achievement. One of his greatest commissions was the stunning 104-panel fresco cycle he produced at Palladio's Villa Cornaro-Gable in Piombino Dese in 1717, when he was only 21 years old! His authorship was lost to time until 1950 when art historian Nicola Ivanoff discovered the original contract between Bortoloni and Cornaro in the archives of the Correr Museum in Venice. After that, the rest, as they say, was history. Bortoloni's style was clearly identified and then so were many other major examples of his work. The present painting offers a fascinating glimpse into the spirited technique that Bortoloni mastered as a frescoist. The astronomer is painted not in oil on canvas but in tempera—a medium that was often used on the surface of frescoes to add surface detail to the subjects that literally fused with the wall. Notice how there is a good deal of parallel hatching applied to achieve the white highlights on the figure's collar, as well as in the background to articulate the shadow behind the figure's body. Tempera, like true fresco, dries quickly, so one needs to work deftly and quickly, as Bortoloni did here to achieve such a brilliantly fresh, unlabored image. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved