Everyone loves a rediscovered painting, especially a regional auction house that can cash in on the find. So Colin Gleadell is happy to shed light on this lot at Duke’s of Dorchester which discovered a Christie’s stamp on the back of this work with markings indicating the painting was a lot in an 1882 sale.

These clues lead the auctioneers to hope the work is by Sassoferrato and that bidders will flock to take a chance on proving it:

A version of the painting is hanging in the National Gallery in London (bequested in 1846) where it is described as one of four known variants by the artist. Duke’s hopes this is another, but is going cautiously. Cataloguing it as “ascribed to Sassoferrato”, they have placed a modest £15,000 estimate on it.

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