Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Painting of the Day: Specimens of Corals, Figured Stones, Minerals and Fossils, 1630-40

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Courtesy of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II


Attributed to Vincenzo Leonardi (fl.1621-1646), this watercolor and gold painting over black chalk from 1630-40, depicts “Specimens of corals, figured stones, minerals and fossils.”

The painting was originally owned by one Cassiano dal Pozzo; by whom bequeathed to his brother, Carlo Antonio dal Pozzo, 1657, and by descent; bought by Pope Clement XI, 1703; by whom bequeathed to his nephew, Cardinal Alessandro Albani, 1721; from whom bought by George III, 1762.

The early seventeenth century saw a rise in the study of the natural sciences. This was of great interest to Cassiano dal Pozzo who commissioned this work, probably from his frequent collaborator Vincenzo Leonardi. The painting shows twenty-five specimens. The specimens numbered in a seventeenth-century hand

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