The J. Paul Getty Museum

Portrait of Agostino Pallavicini

Object Details

Title:

Portrait of Agostino Pallavicini

Artist/Maker:

Anthony van Dyck (Flemish, 1599 - 1641)

Culture:

Flemish

Date:

about 1621

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Object Number:

68.PA.2

Dimensions:

217.5 × 142.2 cm (85 5/8 × 56 in.)

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Object Description

Agostino Pallavicini, a member of the Genoese branch of the Pallavicini family and the future doge of Genoa, sits enveloped by the sumptuous, flowing red robes worn in his role as ambassador to the pope. The wide expanse of fabric, spectacularly rendered, seems to have a life of its own and almost threatens to take over the painting. The luxurious swirl of cloth, its brilliant sheen, and the way it glimmers and reflects light display Anthony van Dyck's virtuosity as a painter. The family coat of arms seen on the drapery behind the sitter at the left, along with other documented portraits, firmly establishes Pallavicini's identity.

In 1621, Van Dyck left Antwerp and traveled to Italy, where he stayed for five years, viewing large private collections of Italian paintings and painting various portraits. This was one of the first paintings he made in Italy, painted in 1621 to commemorate the sitter's service as an ambassador to the newly elected Pope Gregory XV.

Provenance
Provenance
about 1621 -

Agostino Pallavicini, died 1649, by inheritance to Ansaldo Pallavincini.

-

Ansaldo Pallavicini, by inheritance to Anna Maria Pallavicini.

-

Anna Maria Pallavicini, died 1732, by inheritance to Paolo Francesco Doria.

- 1732

Paolo Francesco Doria, died 1732, by inheritance to Maddelena Doria.

-

Maddelena Doria, died 1824, by inheritance to Paolo Francesco Spinola.

- 1824

Paolo Francesco Spinola, died 1824, by inheritance to Giacomo Spinola di Luccoli.

-

Giacomo Spinola di Luccoli

1841 -

Andrew Wilson, sold to Joseph Hawley.

-

Sir Joseph Henry Hawley, 3rd Bart., 1814 - 1875, by inheritance to Henry James Hawley.

by 1879 -

Sir Henry James Hawley, 4th Bart., 1815 - 1898 (Brighton, East Sussex, England)
Source: Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters [...], Winter Exhibition, Royal Academy (1879), no. 168, lent by Sir Henry Hawley, Bart; Fredericksen. Catalogue of the Paintings in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Malibu: 1972), no. 87.

- 1887

Martin H. Colnaghi, 1821 - 1908 (London, England), sold to Arthur Pemberton Heywood-Lonsdale, 1887.

1887 - 1897

Arthur Pemberton Heywood-Lonsdale, 1835 - 1897 (Shavington, Shropshire, England), by inheritance to Henry Heywood-Lonsdale, 1897.

1897 - 1930

Lt. Col. Henry Heywood-Lonsdale, 1864 - 1930 (Shavington, Shropshire, England), by inheritance to Arthur Heywood-Lonsdale, 1930.

1930 - by 1962

Lt. Col. Arthur Heywood-Lonsdale, English, 1900 - 1976 (Shavington, Shropshire, England; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, England), sold to a private collection, by 1962.

by 1962 - 1968

Private Collection (London, England), sold to Pinakos and Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd., August 1968.
Source: "A Van Dyck on Loan." Times [London] (June 8, 1963); National Gallery Archive, archive reference numbers NG 19/1, Loans to the Gallery, and NG23/1963, Press Releases.
Note: On loan to the National Gallery London November 1962 - August 1968, on display by June 1963.

1968

Pinakos Inc. and Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd. (London, England), sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum, October 1968.

Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters and by Deceased Masters of the British School. Winter Exhibition, Tenth Year. MDCCCLXXIX. (January 6 to March 15, 1879)
  • Royal Academy of Arts (London), January 6 to March 15, 1879
Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters and by Deceased Masters of the British School. Winter Exhibition, Twenty-Fifth Year. MDCCCXCIV. (January 1 to March 10, 1894)
  • Royal Academy of Arts (London), January 1 to March 10, 1894
Exhibition of works by Van Dyck (1599-1641) (January 1 to March 10, 1900)
  • Royal Academy of Arts (London), January 1 to March 10, 1900
The Heywood-Lonsdale Loan (February 1959)
  • Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 1959
Sir Anthony van Dyck (November 7 to December 7, 1968)
  • Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd. (London), November 7 to December 7, 1968
The J. Paul Getty Collection (June 29 to September 3, 1972)
  • The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis), June 29 to September 3, 1972
Anthony van Dyck: Paintings in the Grand Manner (November 11, 1990 to February 24, 1991)
  • National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), November 11, 1990 to February 24, 1991
Genova Nell'etá Barocca / Genova in the Baroque Age (May 2 to July 26, 1992)
  • Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola (Genoa), May 2 to July 26, 1992
Van Dyck (May 15 to December 10, 1999)
  • Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen (Antwerp), May 15 to August 15, 1999
  • Royal Academy of Arts (London), September 11 to December 10, 1999
Bibliography
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