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Other titles
Portrait of a gentleman, half length, wearing a black coat with grey sleeves and a hat, a falcon perched on his finger
circa 1548-circa 1550
Painting
oil on canvas
107.5 x 84.5cm stretcher; 139.5 x 117.0 x 8.0cm frame
Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 1991
167.1991
Art Gallery of NSW, Ground Level, European Art 15th-18th Century Galleries, Fairfax Galleries/Room 2
Further information
Nicolo dell' Abate was an Emilian painter active in Modena, Bologna and ultimately the Fontainebleau of Henry II of France, where he worked with his compatriot, the equally gifted Primaticcio. He was associated with, rather than central to, the mannerist movement which was virtually a European court style in the first half of the sixteenth century. It was in the newly independent genre of landscape that dell' Abate made his most enduring contribution to the history of Western art. His classically inspired landscapes are staffed by elegant figures and typified by pastoral themes pre-empting those of Poussin and Claude. In portraiture dell' Abate was a canny observer of the interior life of his subjects, managing to suggest something of the uniqueness of their psychology. The north Italian aristocrat portrayed here has an almost indecisive air at odds with his masterful pose and sporty regalia. Dell' Abate clearly empathised with this equivocal quality, which he so subtly translates into paint.
AGNSW Handbook, 1999.
Provenance
William Bowmore (Australia, b.1909), 1975?-19 Jul 1991, Sydney/New South Wales/Australia, Purchased by the AGNSW from William Bowmore 1991. This painting was offered for sale at Christie's London, 9 December 1988 'Important Old Master Pictures', but did not sell.
Agnew's, London (England, estab. 1817), 1971-1975?, London/England, by 1971, exhibited in 'Old masters - recent acquisitions' 2 November - 10 December 1971
Count Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi (Italy, b.1878, d.1955), Florence/Italy, [dealer]
Bibliography
Periodical; Look; Jill Sykes (Australia); Sep 2004, 15, 'Foundation building' by Michael Wardell, pg.14-17
Book; Sebastian Viniziano; Rodolfo Pallucchini; 1944, 170, plate no. 75. Entered as 'Sebastiano del Piombo c.1530-33'.
Periodical; The Burlington Magazine; Editor Unknown; 1946, Review of Palluchini's "Sebastiano Viniziano" by Johannes Wilde
Book; Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: Venetian School; Bernard Berenson; 1957, 163, Entered as 'Sebastiano del Piombo'.
Exhibition catalogue; Old Masters - Recent Acquisitions; Agnew's, London (England, estab. 1817); 1971, (illus.), cat.no. 16. Entered as 'Sebastiano del Piombo'.
Exhibition catalogue; Master Paintings. Recent Acquisitions; Agnew's, London (England, estab. 1817); 1975, (illus.), cat.no. 21
Book; L'opera completa di Sebastiano del Piombo; M. Lucco; 1980, (llus.), cat.no. 183
Exhibition catalogue; Splendour of the Baroque: Painting in Bologna from 1550 to 1750; Author Unknown; 1993, 3, 4 (colour illus.)
Exhibition catalogue; Great gifts, great patrons: an exhibition celebrating private patronage of the Gallery; Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874); 1994, no catalogue numbers
General/Book; The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections; Ewen McDonald (Australia); 1994, 114 (colour illus.), 'The Western Heritage, Renaissance to Twentieth Century' by Renée Free, pg. 108-172.
Annual report; Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Annual Report 1997; Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1997, 17 (colour illus.)
General/Book; Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook; Bruce James (Australia), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1999, 23 (colour illus.), 'Western Collection: Paintings and Sculpture' by Bruce James, pg. 17-77.
Exhibition catalogue; The Fine Art of Giving: 90 Masterpieces from the William Bowmore Collection; Ron Radford (Australia, b.1949); 1999, 38, 39 (colour illus.), 73, 'The collection in focus' by Angus Trumble pg.29-71, cat.no. 5
Exhibition venue
Title: The Fine Art of Giving: 90 Masterpieces from the William Bowmore Collection
Venue: Art Gallery of South Australia
Opening: 02 Nov 1999
Closing: 01 Apr 2000
Curator: Radford, Ron
Notes: cat.no. 5
Title: Great gifts, great patrons
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 17 Aug 1994
Closing: 19 Oct 1994
Title: Splendour of the Baroque: Painting from Bologna 1550 to 1750
Organizer: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Venue: Art Gallery of Western Australia
Opening: 20 Sep 1993
Closing: 31 Oct 1993
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 21 May 1993
Closing: 18 Jul 1993
Title: Master Paintings. Recent Acquistions
Venue: Agnew's, London
Opening: 29 May 1975
Closing: 04 Jul 1975
Notes: cat.no. 21
Title: Old Masters - Recent Acquistions
Venue: Agnew's, London
Opening: 02 Nov 1971
Closing: 10 Dec 1971
Notes: cat.no. 16, as Sebastiano del Piombo
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