Orazio de Ferrari, 1605 Voltri – 1657 Genua ESTER... Lot 241

Orazio de Ferrari, 1605 Voltri – 1657 Genua ESTER BEFORE AHASVER Oil on canvas. 90.5 x 103 cm. In partially gilded frame decorated with floral motifs. Enclosed is a copy of an expert opinion by Anna Orlando, Genoa, no date. In contrast to the painting by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-c. 1654) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example, which shows the two main figures at a greater distance, in the present painting by Orazio de Ferrari, Esther is literally in Ahasuer's arms as she begs him to spare her people. The depiction is based on the Book of Esther, which describes the king as lord from India to Ethiopia, but the narrative concerning Esther is probably fictional in nature, as a Jewish Queen Esther is considered unlikely due to the marriage policies of Persian kings. Ahasver is equated with Xerxes I (reigned 486-465 BC) in the historical context. The present painting has not yet been published in the literature and is recognized by Anna Orlando as an autograph work by the Genoese painter Oratio de Ferrari. As a comparison, Orlando mentions a variant measuring 124 x 153 cm, which is in a private collection and was mentioned by Piero Donati in 1997 (catalogue number 63, p. 149). The latter writes "Da questo momento in pio (ossia dopo il 1640), questa capacità di coniugare splendore materico e rigorosa coerenza spaziale connoterà stabilmente la pittura di Orazio De Ferrari, conferendole un'intima originalità. Nel campo del quadro da stanza, questa poetica sottostà, oltre che ai dipinti che si inpirano alla Passione di Cristo, ad un capolavoro assoluto quale l'Ester confortata da Assuero, di collezione privata..." Literature: Cf. Piero Donati, Orazio De Ferrari, Genoa 1997. Cf. Anna Orlando, Aggiunte al catalogo di Orazio De Ferrari, in: La Favola di Latona di Orazio de Ferrari. Il ritorno di un capolavoro. Con aggiunte al catalogo del pittore, Genoa 2017. Cf. Book of Esther, (Est 2,16). (1290314) (13) Orazio de Ferrari, 1605 Voltri - 1657 Genoa ESTHER IN FRONT OF AHASVEROil on canvas. 90.5 x 103 cm. A copy of the expert's report by Anna Orlando, Genoa, no date, is enclosed. The present painting has not yet been published in research literature and is recognized by Anna Orlando as an original work by the Genoese painter Orazio de Ferrari. Orlando mentions a variant measuring 124 x 153 cm for comparison, which is held at a private collection and was mentioned by Piero Donati in 1997 (cat. no. 63, p. 149). Literature: cf. Piero Donati, Orazio De Ferrari, Genoa 1997. cf. Anna Orlando, Aggiunte al catalogo di Orazio De Ferrari, in: La Favola di Latona di Orazio de Ferrari. Il ritorno di un capolavoro. Con aggiunte al catalogo del pittore, Genova 2017. cf. The Book of Esther, (Est 2,16).