(Este 1631–1722 Venice)
Agrippina Rescued from a Shipwreck,
signed lower left: An […] Zanchi.Pin…,
oil on canvas, 165 x 269 cm, unframed

Provenance:
The Princely Liechtenstein Collection, Vienna 1780 (probably aquired between 1767 and 1780);
The present painting is listed in a hand-written inventory for the picture gallery in 1807, entitled ‘Catalogus der gerichtlich vorgenommen Schätzung sämtlicher Bilder, so sich in der … Bildergallerie in der Schenkenstrasse … befinden …’ [‘Catalogue of the judicial appraisal undertaken for all of the paintings housed in the picture gallery in Schenkenstrasse now: Liechtenstein town palace, No. 9 Bankgasse];
John II, Prince of Liechtenstein;
The painting was still in the Liechtenstein picture gallery in 1873;
sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 4th-5th March 1881, lot 242;
European private collection

Literature:
J. Dallinger von Dalling, Description des Tableaux, et des Piéces de Sculpture, que renferme la Gallerie de son Altesse Francois Joseph Chef et Prince Regnant de la Maison de Liechtenstein etc., Wien 1780, No. 699, p. 241 ;
J. v. Falke, Catalog der fürstlich Lichtensteinischen Bilder-Galerie im Gartenpalais der Rossau zu Wien, Wien 1873, No. 579, p. 68;
A. Pigler, Barockthemen, eine Auswahl von Verzeichnissen zur Ikonographie des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts, Berlin, 1956, vol. II, p. 339;
A. Riccoboni, “Antonio Zanchi e la Pittura Veneziana del Seicento”, in: Saggi e Memorie di Storia dell’arte, no. 5, 1966, p. 117.

The present painting shows Agrippina with a female companion and several male figures involved in their rescue. According to Tacitus, Agrippina, the mother of Nero, had substantial power after the death of her husband Claudius, but when Nero came under the influence of his mistress, Poppaea, he decided to get rid of his mother. He gave her a ship that was built in such a way that it would break apart when put to sea, but Agrippina was rescued.

The large scene is characterized by theatrical realism and dramatic lighting. Through their monumentality, the figures form a compact group, rendered with a broad, liberal brush and in richly nuanced colours. In its naturalism, the muscular anatomy of the male figures is contrasted with the women’s precious silky garments and jewellery. The light entering from the left augments the three-dimensionality of the bodies and emphasizes the central scene, while the ship on the right-hand side lies in the shade. Zanchi treated the subject several times, such as in a painting of square format from a private collection (cf. P. Zampetti, Antonio Zanchi, Bergamo, 1988, p. 540, no. 70, fig. p. 660). The present painting likely dates from the 1670s.

Antonio Zanchi was a student of Matteo Ponzone in Venice, an artist who was under the influence of Tintoretto. However Zanchi’s early work was more dependent on the art of Francesco Ruschi, a painter from Rome who worked in Venice. Later, Zanchi displayed a keen interest in the works of Luca Giordano and Giovanni Battista Langetti. Adapting their powerful, contrasting chiaroscuro, he became one of the most important exponents of Tenebrism. Zanchi received prestigious commissions for Venetian churches and palaces. His reputation took him as far as Munich, where he was involved in the decoration of the Residence and the Theatine Church. Beginning in the 1680s, he took to attenuating the effects of light and dark, with the contours of his figures becoming softer and the colouring making a flatter impression. Francesco Trevisani and Antonio Molinari were among his pupils.

The present composition was probably aquired between 1767 and 1780 for the Princely Liechtenstein Collection (see Dallinger, 1780, no. 699, p. 241). It is listed in a hand-written inventory established for the picture gallery in 1807, entitled ‘Catalogus der gerichtlich vorgenommen Schätzung sämtlicher Bilder, so sich in der … Bildergallerie in der Schenkenstrasse … befinden …’ [‘Catalogue of the judicial appraisal undertaken for all of the paintings housed in the picture gallery in Schenkenstrasse, now: Liechtenstein town palace, No. 9 Bankgasse], where its worth was estimated at 300 guilders. Documents prove that the painting was still in the picture gallery in 1873 (Falke, 1873, no. 579, p. 68). The work last appears in a list of paintings to be sold in Paris.

We are grateful to Dr. Arthur Stögmann for his support in identifying the provenance of the present painting.