GIOVANNI BATTISTA CARACCIOLO, CALLED BATTISTELLO | SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE WILDERNESS

GIOVANNI BATTISTA CARACCIOLO, CALLED BATTISTELLO
Naples 1578 - 1635
SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE WILDERNESS

oil on canvas
59 by 46½ in.; 149.8 by 118.1 cm.

Renowned Art Dealer Fabrizio Moretti and The Strokes' Fab Moretti Collaborate

Condition Report:
The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.

This work has been lined onto linen, with a traditional glue. The paint layer is stable. It is slightly lacking in texture as a result of the lining. The softer colors in the background and in the shadows of the figures have weakened slightly over time. The paint layer is clean, retouched and varnished.

Retouches are visible under ultraviolet light addressing cracks, small losses and breaks to the canvas. The breaks in the canvas are quite complex. One runs from the upper left corner vertically into the hand on the left side, and another begins in the knees and runs down towards the bottom edge. There is a break beginning in the lower center about 12 inches above the bottom edge, which runs down to the bottom edge with extensions on either side along the bottom edge. There is also a vertical break along the center of the right side. These damages are isolated and have been well restored.

The varnish could be re-examined to present a more even finish, but the painting looks well overall.

Provenance:
Dr. Carlo Croce, Philadelphia, by 1993;

Anonymous sale, New York, Christie's, 14 January 1993, lot 126;

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 25 January 2007, lot 50, for $90,000;

There acquired by Coll & Cortés, Madrid;

By whom sold to a Spanish private collector.