Lot 2047 Dα

The three female figures in this composition are allegorical depictions: Justice is shown in a golden cloak and with crown, Fortuna with a doubled headdress and Nemesis, in the background, with a wheel. The scene can be interpreted as a scholarly allegory of Justice forcing Fortuna to act with honesty and integrity so as not to fall victim to Nemesis, the goddess of righteous punishment. The source for this unusual iconography is Cesare Ripa's “Iconologia”, which was published in Rome in 1593 and soon became a popular reference work for artists throughout the XVII century. The composition can furthermore be understood as a vanitas motif, a moral exhortation to right action, a telling subject for the art of 17th century Florence under the Medici.
Professor Bellesi attributes this painting to Giovanni Martinelli. He justifies this opinion in his expertise with stylistic and typological comparisons to secured works by Martinelli; for example a “Saint Cecilia” in private ownership (see F. Baldassari, Le opera di devozione pubblica e privata di Giovanni Martinelli, in: ibid. Baldinotti et al., 2011, p. 84, fig. 19), or "The Three Graces" owned by the art dealer Robilant & Voena, London (see S. Bellesi, I quadri allegorici, in: op. cit. Baldinotti et al, 2011, p. 54, fig. 13). Both works are dated to the 1640s and early 1650s, which is why Bellesi considers it likely that the present work was also created in this period.
Giovanni Martinelli was taught to paint by Jacopo Ligozzi in Florence. Following a stay in Rome, where he especially admired the works of Caravaggio, he settled in Florence and there ran a successful and highly renowned studio.