Moses painting could be the work of the Baroque master Guercino. Guercino’s real name is Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. Also, Guercino represents a nickname given to him because of an eye defect incurred when a child. Moses painting sold on November 25, at Chayette and Cheval in Paris.
Moses Painting and the Mystery Surrounding Its Creator
Moses painting greatly outperformed its initial estimate of €5,000-6,000 ($5,175-6,200). It brought in a staggering €590,000 ($610,000) hammer price. Also, the painting represents dramatic depictions of the biblical character Moses. Moses has his palms up. Guido Reni took the credit for the painting. He was a 17th-century Bolognese School member.
But, the catalogue takes into consideration Guercino could also be the potential author of this piece. A replica of the piece by his student Benedetto Zalone, auctioned in 2001 at Franco Semenzato in Venice, was one of the reasons behind this. But, it failed to sell for its estimated value of 70,000,000-110,000,000 lira ($31,770 to $49,900).
Chayette and Cheval auction house estimated its value. It now appears likely that the unidentified buyer firmly believed Chayette and Cheval misdiagnosed and significantly devalued the work. Jorge Coll, CEO of Colnaghi Gallery, and his colleague Alice Da Costa linked the painting to the Baroque artist’s Elijah fed by Ravens.
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterThey are also sure Guercino did create the painting. “From what I can see in the photograph, the quality, and the condition is pretty good, so I understand the hammer price”, said Coll.
“This outcome is the product of our work” – Auctioneer Charlotte Van Gaver
The auctioneer chose not to respond to the attribution. However, auctioneer Charlotte van Gaver acknowledged the piece triggered a bidding war. He added the astounding outcome was “the product of our work”.
“It is undeniable that auction houses such as Chayette and Cheval guarantee “healthy” provenances and “stirs up” the market and international auctions,” she said. “We are happy this discovery leads to such a great result”.
Federico Castelluccio, who played Tony Soprano on the Sopranos, owned a Guercino artwork, appraised at $10 million. A dealer bought another undervalued Guercino in 2012 from Doyle, New York, and may have gained millions when he sold it in 2020.
“This Bolognese period can be expensive, and Guercino is one of the top artists”, noted Coll. “This is top quality, and the fact that it’s a rediscovery excites people even more”. “In the Old Master world, we don’t have so many top quality paintings come on the market. When they do, you can see a desire for these paintings, so that’s very positive for us”.
