Provenance:

Phillips, London, 12 December 1990, lot 138; where acquired by:

Stanley Moss, Riverdale-on-Hudson, until 2024.

One of the leading lights of the Neapolitan Baroque, Luca Giordano gained international acclaim during his lifetime. He travelled widely throughout Europe and was commissioned by some of the greatest patrons of his day to undertake major projects in Naples, Venice, Florence, and Madrid. Giordano was a prolific painter and draughtsman, and his rapid execution earned him the nickname “Fa Presto,” or “work quickly.” The artist’s legendary speed is here self-evident in the bold and fluent lines quickly applied to the paper, and the drawing is enhanced by a subtle application of an ink wash.

While they are standing in repose, the two men conversing are depicted with movement and drama, particularly in the rendering of the drapery and the outline of the figure at left. With a few flashes of chalk, Giordano gives volume and breathes life into the figure in the foreground, positioned with one arm akimbo and the other held to his chest.

Our drawing has not yet been associated with a painting by Giordano, but given its spirited treatment, it was likely intended as a study for part of a larger composition. The colonnades that fill the background of the scene evoke an outdoor and perhaps ancient setting, suggesting a classical or mythological subject—both favorites of the artist and his patrons.