Portrait of a young girl, possibly from the Molara family, bust-length in a blue dress and holding a carnation, within a painted oval
oil on canvas
65.2 x 50.2cm (25 11/16 x 19 3/4in).
bears inscription '-Spada-' (on the reverse, presumably transcribed from an earlier canvas)

Footnotes

Provenance
Possibly the Spada Veralli Collection, Rome, until the end of the 18th Century (according to a previous early inscription on the reverse)

Literature
M. Natoli, Donne di Roma dall'Impero Romano al 1860. Ritrattistica romana al feminile, Rome, 2003, exh. cat., under no. 39
F. Petrucci, Pittura di Ritratto a Roma. Il '600, Rome, 2012, vol. II, p. 369. no. 1, vol. III, ill. p. 704, fig. 568

It may be that the present portrait was painted to commemorate either an impending wedding or an engagement as the young girl holds carnations, which are a symbol of innocent love. The identification of the sitter as a member of the Molara family is suggested by the presence of a distinctive scorpion brooch, the emblem of the family.

Saleroom notices

Please note that the present lot is by Giovanni Battista Passeri (1610-1679) and not as previously stated in the catalogue.

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Giuseppe Passeri(Rome 1654-1714)Portrait of a young girl, possibly from the Molara family, bears inscription '-Spada-' (on the reverse, presumably transcribed from an earlier canvas)

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