"Portrait Of A Lady, Maria Borghese Chigi Circa 1663, Jacob Voet, Oil Painting On Canvas"
Portrait of Maria Virginia Borghese Chigi, Princess Farnese (1642–1718) c.1663-78Studio of Jacob Ferdinand Voet (c. 1639-1700)
This portrait belongs to a type of portrait known as ‘Les Belle Romanes’. Voet is perhaps best remembered for his series of them – a great set of portraits of the most enchanting women of Rome. Inspired by the Mancini sisters, these portraits from 1672 onwards included sitters from the Chigi, Savoia and Massimo families, as well as other celebrated Italian dynasties. The paintings were so popular that the artist was repeatedly asked to reproduce replicas and versions. After working mainly in Italy, his reputation was such that he spent the last years of his life as ‘Pittore del Re’ – official portraitist to the Sun King, Louis XIV, in Paris. With such international production, his fame even surpassed that of Pierre Mignard, Carlo Maratta, Giovanni Maria Morandi and Baciccio, his main rivals in the genre.
The subject is Maria Virginia Borghese Chigi (1642-1718) who was a member of the ancient Borghese family originally from Siena; the family first came to prominence in the 13th century. The family moved to Rome in the 16th century and there, Camillo was elected as Pope Paul V in 1605. As an extended family the Borghese became some of the largest landowners of the Roman Campagna, increasing their wealth by their strategic control of their properties and a concerted policy of assuming monopolies of milling grain and the rights to run inns. The family were a major patron of the arts and their art collection was established as the Galleria Borghese located in the family's former property, Villa Borghese.
Maria Virginia is shown with the grandiloquence characteristic of Voet’s portraits. Painted in Rome in circa 1670, when the artist was at the height of his powers, the portrait displays great luminosity, it is no wonder why Voet was one Europe's premier painters of portraits during the last quarter of the 17th century (and court painter to the French King Louis XIV). The image illustrates the artist's virtuosic handling of material and his consummate skill.
Our sitter married Agostino Chigi (1634-1705) on 25 April 1659 in her hometown, and Agostino acquired the principalities of Farnese (1658), Campagnano (1661) and Ariccia. The Chigi family were another immensely rich and powerful family originally from Siena, first mentioned in the 13th century. Perhaps the most famous member was the rich banker, Agostino Chigi (1465–1520).
Held in a splendid gilded period frame.
Jacob Ferdinand Voet (c.1639-1689) was a highly successful Flemish portrait painter who worked in both Italy and France. Voet is regarded as one of the best and most fashionable portrait painters of the Late Baroque. His ambition led him first to Rome and then on to Paris, where his stylish technique and attention to costume was eagerly endorsed by the most fashionable and eminent sitters. The artist’s phenomenal success was in part due to his renowned affability, enabling him to obtain the favour of new patrons and to maintain his professional relations with all the major families of the Roman nobility. He travelled extensively in Italy, executing numerous commissions in Como and Milan and it is probable that he also travelled to Genoa, and certainly to Florence, Modena and Parma. When he was in Rome, from 1663 to 1679, he was consistently marked by patronage from the Papal court and the local aristocracy, including the Mancini and Colonna families. He painted an elite clientele and aristocratic tourists conducting their Grand Tours of Italy. Examples of the artist’s work can be found in many of the best international art museums including the National Portrait Gallery London.
A Portrait of Maria Mancini by the artist sold at Kunsthaus Lempertz November 14, 2020 [Lot 2069] for 18,750 EUR (22,189 USD). Portrait of a lady of the Colonna family by the artist sold at Christie's June 23, 2020 [Lot 17] for 16,250 GBP (20,355 USD). Portrait of Hortense Mancini, in the guise of Aphrodite by the artist sold at Christie's London July 5, 2019 [Lot 233] for 62,500 GBP (78,134 USD.
Measurements: Height 84.5cm, Width 71cm framed (Height 33.25”, Width 28” framed)
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