Benedetto Luti, 1666 Florenz – 1724 Rom, und Werkstatt

SUSANNA AND THE OLD Oil on canvas. Doubled. 170 x 116 cm. In à jour painted and gilded acanthus frame. The present painting is the only known copy of a work on canvas with the same content and dimensions as a painting of the young Artemisia Gentileschi from 1610, which is now kept in the collection of Count Schönborn at Schloss Weißenstein near Pommersfelden. It is very likely that the painting discussed here is identical to a copy that the Florentine painter Benedetto Luti had made in his workshop in the summer of 1714. Luti, who was not only a famous painter, but also an art dealer, connoisseur and collector, aspired to knighthood at the time. His patron and patroness, Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Archbishop of Mainz, was to obtain this from the Emperor in recognition of his artistic merits. To please his patron, Luti decided to present him with a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, as he knew that Schönborn had a preference for female nudes as long as they were decent. Several letters from Luti to Johann Alberich Bauer von Heppenstein, an official at Schönborn's court, show that Luti commissioned a copy of the painting of Artemisia in order to obtain Heppenstein's opinion on the suitability of the work as a gift for the archbishop. The answer was positive and the original painting was sent to the castle, where it still remains today; the copy remained with Heppenstein as a gift. Luti received the diamond-studded cross as a token of appreciation in 1715. In the letters mentioned above, Luti explains why he initially sent a copy of the painting "Susanna and the Two Old Men": the original was difficult to transport due to the thick, stiff layers of paint, as curling the canvas would have damaged it. However, Rodolfo Maffeis suspects that Luti was unsure whether the painting would be to his patron's taste due to the erotic depiction of the scene and feared offending him. He therefore wanted to obtain Heppenstein's approval first to ensure that the gift was appropriate. Luti was experienced in making copies of famous paintings. He had such works carried out in his workshop, but often added the finishing touches himself. Maffeis considers it possible that Luti was personally involved in the creation of the present painting, even though he stated in his letters to Heppenstein that he "had it done" ("fatto fare"). The present painting is a careful reproduction of the original with fine detail and more delicate colors. It differs from the original only in the absence of the signature and date, which can be found in the original on the lower left-hand step. Curiously, Luti's description of the painting "Susanna and the Two Old Women" claims it to be the work of Orazio Gentileschi, Artemisia's father. It is also listed as such in the 1719 inventory of the palace. Raymond Ward Bissell tried to explain this by assuming that Luti did not know Artemisia and only knew her more famous father. He also suspected that the signature may have been covered by a layer of paint at the time. Maffeis, on the other hand, rules out these assumptions and believes that Luti deliberately concealed the signature in order to pass the painting off as a work by Orazio Gentileschi. An attribution to a female artist might have made the painting even more provocative in connection with the subject and therefore unsuitable as a gift for Schönborn. Provenance: Benedetto Luti for Johann Alberich Bauer von Heppenstein, court official to Lothar Franz von Schönborn. Art dealer, Germany. Private collection, Europe. Literature: Rodolfo Maffeis, L'importanza di firmarsi Artemisia. Su una "Susanna" della Gentileschi nella collezione di Benedetto Luti, in: Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Instituts in Florenz, 3, 2017, pp. 389-407, fig. 2. Artemisia Gentileschi and the Authority of Art: Critical Reading and Catalogue Raisonné, University Park 1999, p. 10 (1401691) (13) Benedetto Luti, 1666 Florence - 1724 Rome, and workshop SUSANNA AND THE ELDERS Oil on canvas. Relined. 170 x 116 cm. The painting on offer for sale in this lot is the only known copy of a work on canvas with the same subject and dimensions as a painting by the young Artemisia Gentileschi from 1610, which is now held at the Count Schönborn collection in Weißenstein Castle near Pommersfelden. It is very likely that the painting in question is identical to a copy that the Florentine painter Benedetto Luti created in his workshop in the summer of 1714. Luti was experienced in making copies of famous paintings. Such work was carried out by his workshop, but he often added the finishing touches himself. Maffeis (see Literature) considers it possible t