Giovanni Francesco ROMANELLI (Viterbo 1610... - Lot 61 - Kâ-Mondo

Giovanni Francesco ROMANELLI (Viterbo 1610 - 1662). Allegory of Justice. Octagonal canvas (formerly with oval view). 196.5 × 181 cm. Without frame. (Misses, accidents and lifts). Provenance: - Commissioned by Cardinal and Prime Minister Jules Mazarin in 1646 for his mansion in Paris with its counterpart, La Prudence (il.1) ; - According to recent research by the artist's specialist Silvia Bruno (infra., 2022): the pair was deposited by the Louvre Museum, between 1820 and 1830, at the Ministry of Justice (the pair is listed there in 1829); - The pair was sold by the State through the administration of the domains before November 16, 1832 (mentioned in a letter of November 16, 1832 from the Ministry of Justice to the director of the royal museums as having been delivered to the domains some time before, "by my predecessor"); - Hôtel particulier d'Île-de-France, since the beginning of the 20th century. Bibliography: - Henri duc d'Aumale, Inventaire de tous les meubles du cardinal Mazarin dressé en 1653 ..., Philobiblion Society, 1861, p.374 ("371 and 372. La Justice et la Prudence en deux tableaux rondz pareilz, dans la première chambre basse"); - Madeleine Laurain-Portemer, Études mazarines, Paris, ed. Boccard, 1981 (round painting representing La Justice with a Prudence in progress on the ceiling of the Council Chamber of the Mazarin palace) ; - Patrick Michel, Mazarin prince of collectors. Les collections et l'ameublement du cardinal Mazarin, 1602-1661, Histoire et analyse, Paris, Édition de la Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1999, p. 133 ; - Nicolas Milovanovic, " Romanelli à Paris : entre la galerie Farnèse et Versailles ", in Olivier Bonfait (dir.), L'Idéal classique. Les échanges artistiques entre Rome et Paris au temps de Bellori (1640-1700), proceedings of the colloquium (Rome, 2000), Rome, Académie de France à Rome / Paris, Somogy, 2002, p. 279-298; - Bénédicte Gady, Barbara Bréjon de Lavergnée, " Les décors du palais Mazarin ", in Richelieu, quatre siècles d'histoire au coeur de Paris, Paris, BNF, 2016, 293p., p.48-61 (mention of a painting " La Justice " by Romanelli, perhaps on the ceiling of the first lower room) ; - Silvia Bruno, "I Barberini e il loro entourage in Francia", in I Barberini e la cultura europea del Seicento, Roma, de Luca Atti del convegno a cura di L. Mochi Onori, S. Schütze, F. Solinas, Roma, 2008, pp. 317-330 ; - Silvia Bruno, "Giovan Francesco Romanelli a Parigi: prime opere per Giulio Mazzarino", in Paragone Arte, 165-166, December 2022, pp. 3-21. Our painting is one of the two large ovals reported in the lower room of the palace of Cardinal Mazarin, in the former Hotel Tubeuf, now in the Richelieu quadrangle of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF), the other compartment representing The Prudence (private collection). Its iconography is adapted to the patron: Romanelli shows a female figure, seated on clouds, holding a balance, symbol of equity, of measure in her right hand, and the beam of the lictor, associated with imperium, power - in her left hand (attribute indicated by Cesare Ripa), and which was part of the coat of arms of Mazarin. He removes other usual emblems of Justice, such as the sword or the blindfold. This private mansion was built in 1635 on a plot of land near Charles V's enclosure, today at the corner of rue des Petit-Champs and rue Vivienne. On October 1, 1643, Mazarin moved into the building, using Jacques Tubeuf as a figurehead to undertake the work and transform the house into a veritable palace where he housed his collections. In 1649, he finally bought the residence outright. At his death, it went to his nephews Armand-Charles de La Porte de La Meilleraye, first Duke of Mazarin (nephew by marriage) and Philippe-Julien Mancini, Duke of Nevers. In 1719, the son of the latter sold the property to John Law who wished to establish his bank there. The bank went bankrupt and the building was assigned to the India Company until 1769, when the Treasury moved into the hotel. In 1826, this part of the building was given to the National Library. Pupil and then collaborator of Pietro da Cortona, Giovanni Francesco Romanelli placed himself under the protection of Bernini and the Barberini family in the 1630's. Immersed in the work of Guido Reni and opting for light colors, Romanelli is the most classical of the pupils of Pietro da Cortona. In our Justice, he takes up and adapts the pose of The Abduction of Europa (London, National Gallery, circa 1640) by the Bolognese master. He knew that Guido Reni was very appreciated in the capital, which already had several of his masterpieces. Following the installation of Cardinal Barberini in Paris, Romanelli went to the French capital. During this first stay, in 1645-1647, thanks to the recommendation of his protector, he received a commission to create ceilings "à la fra