Felice Ficherelli

(San Gimignano 1605–1660 Florence)
Tarquinius and Lucretia,
oil on canvas, 117 x 161.5 cm, framed

Literature:
S. Bellesi, Pittura e Scultura a Firenze (Secoli XVI-XIX), Florence 2017, p. 75, fig. 7

The present painting has been published by Sandro Bellesi and he dates it to the 1630s.

The story of Lucretia, recounted by Livy, was a popular subject with Baroque artists. Lucretia was the wife of the Roman nobleman Collatinus during the 6th century BC. While sleeping, Sextus Tarquinius, son of the tyrannical King Tarquinius Superbus, came into her chamber and threatened to disgrace and kill her if she did not lie with him. The next day, Lucretia committed suicide before her father and husband in order to reclaim her honour. The incident hastened the revolt which led to the overthrow of monarchical tyranny and the establishment of the Roman Republic.

Ficherelli favoured scenes infused with an aura of sensuality (see for example, his Saint Praxedis, sale Dorotheum, Vienna, 17 October 2017, lot 104, € 350,508). In the present work, he represents the dramatic moment of confrontation between Lucretia and Sextus Tarquinius, the latter raising his sword while his servant observes in the background. Ficherelli invests the scene with an atmosphere of claustrophobic intimacy. Other autograph versions of this composition are in the Accademia di San Luca, Rome (Inv. 0324, oil on canvas, 117 x 163 cm) and in the Wallace Collection, London (oil on copper, 24.5 x 29.9 cm, inv. P643, see S. Duffy and J. Hedley, The Wallace Collection’s Pictures: A Complete Catalogue, London 2004).

Thanks to the Notizia (1681–1728) by biographer Filippo Baldinucci, we know that Ficherelli left his native San Gimignano in the 1620s for Florence under the protection of the art collector and music enthusiast Alberto de’ Bardi from Vernio. Alberto de’ Bardi welcomed him to his palace in the Oltrarno area and entrusted him to Master Jacopo da Empoli, an artist who ran one of the most successful workshops in the Grand Duchy capital. This apprenticeship was decisive and left lasting stylistic influence on Ficherelli’s work. The artist was known as ‘il Riposo’ (Restful) for his easy-going and peaceful nature.