Recently discovered documents in the Durazzo Giustiniani archives in Genoa have brought to light the fact that in 1666 Rembrandt received the exceptional commission from the Genoese nobleman Francesco Maria Sauli to paint two “modelli” for altarpieces, one an Ascenision of the Virgin, for the Sauli family church, the Nostra Signora Assunta Basilica in Carignano (Genoa). The negotiations with the artist were conducted by Gio Lorenzo Viviano, captain of a ship that was then lying in Amsterdam harbour. He was assisted in this by two of the Saulis' business agents in Amsterdam, Voet and Benzi, who reported back to Francesco Maria Sauli in Genoa, keeping him up to date with the progress of the project. The negotiations and the execution of the paintings lasted from June 1666 to February 1667. By June 1667 the paintings had arrived at Genoa and had been paid. The many letters exchanged between the patron and his representatives contain opinions and interesting observations on Rembrandt’s artistic modus operandi. The essay also highlights the quality of contemporary patronage by the Sauli family: in the same years in which Francesco Maria commissioned the works to the Dutch artist, commissions for the decoration of the interior of the Basilica were given to the French sculptor Pierre Puget (from 1663 onwards), who made two large marble sculptures for the church and provided preparatory drawings for a third one. The Sauli commission to Rembrandt suggests to rethink the role of Gio Benedetto Castiglione who, just a few decades before, had shown such lively interest in the Dutch master’s oeuvre: paintings by Castiglione are documented in the collection of Gio Antonio Sauli, Francesco Maria’s father. The documents concerning this unique commission show that as well as the known contacts with Antonio Ruffo in Messina and Cosimo III de' Medici in Florence, Rembrandt had a third Italian client in the person of Francesco Maria Sauli in Genoa. They also provide us with an important addition to our knowledge of Rembrandt's activities during the last years of his life and his reputation among his contemporaries.
1666. Een onbekende opdracht uit Genua voor Rembrandt
MAGNANI, LAURO GIOVANNI
2007-01-01
Abstract
Recently discovered documents in the Durazzo Giustiniani archives in Genoa have brought to light the fact that in 1666 Rembrandt received the exceptional commission from the Genoese nobleman Francesco Maria Sauli to paint two “modelli” for altarpieces, one an Ascenision of the Virgin, for the Sauli family church, the Nostra Signora Assunta Basilica in Carignano (Genoa). The negotiations with the artist were conducted by Gio Lorenzo Viviano, captain of a ship that was then lying in Amsterdam harbour. He was assisted in this by two of the Saulis' business agents in Amsterdam, Voet and Benzi, who reported back to Francesco Maria Sauli in Genoa, keeping him up to date with the progress of the project. The negotiations and the execution of the paintings lasted from June 1666 to February 1667. By June 1667 the paintings had arrived at Genoa and had been paid. The many letters exchanged between the patron and his representatives contain opinions and interesting observations on Rembrandt’s artistic modus operandi. The essay also highlights the quality of contemporary patronage by the Sauli family: in the same years in which Francesco Maria commissioned the works to the Dutch artist, commissions for the decoration of the interior of the Basilica were given to the French sculptor Pierre Puget (from 1663 onwards), who made two large marble sculptures for the church and provided preparatory drawings for a third one. The Sauli commission to Rembrandt suggests to rethink the role of Gio Benedetto Castiglione who, just a few decades before, had shown such lively interest in the Dutch master’s oeuvre: paintings by Castiglione are documented in the collection of Gio Antonio Sauli, Francesco Maria’s father. The documents concerning this unique commission show that as well as the known contacts with Antonio Ruffo in Messina and Cosimo III de' Medici in Florence, Rembrandt had a third Italian client in the person of Francesco Maria Sauli in Genoa. They also provide us with an important addition to our knowledge of Rembrandt's activities during the last years of his life and his reputation among his contemporaries.
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