Rosalba Carriera (Venezia 1673 - 1757) Ritratto di giovane gentildonna coronata di lauro (Faustina Bordoni?)

Lot description

Pastels on paper cm. 29x24,8. Framed On the reverse of the support board, protecting the paper, an old ink inscription reads: “ROSALBA CARRIERA”. The pastel has the typical eighteenth-century frame associated with Rosalba Carriera’s works in the collection of Augustus III, Elector of Saxony (who assembled around 150 pastels by the Venetian artist, today largely preserved in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden), complete with the metal plaque bearing inventory number “83”. There are small tears along the lower margin of the paper. The pastel most likely depicts Faustina Bordoni, the celebrated Venetian singer and wife of the composer Johann Adolf Hasse, a friend of Rosalba Carriera and portrayed by her on several occasions. In this case, the artist chose to depict her crowned with laurel, as a sort of allegorical figure of Poetry. Of particular note is the proximity to the Portrait of Faustina in the Museo di Ca’ Rezzonico, Venice, and especially to the version in the Dresden Museum, which likewise features the motif of laurel leaves and pearl earrings. Augustus III Elector of Saxony (?); W. Apolloni Gallery, Rome; private collection, Rome.