9/1/24 – Acquisitions – Tokyo, National Museum of Western Art – Record millionaire auction at Rouillac in June 2023, the unpublished portrait of Antonietta Gonzales by Lavinia Fontana (ill. 1) could not have been more publicized. Until then known by the version preserved by the Château de Blois (ill. 12), it had been discovered a few months earlier in a private Burgundian collection and benefited from the expertise of the Turquin cabinet. Exhibited by the Geneva gallery Rob Smeets at Tefaf 2024, it was finally acquired by the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, which unveiled its display last September, a new masterpiece in its collection of European art. from the 16th to the 20th century regularly filled with big names, notably and not surprisingly women artists.
- 1. Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614)
Portrait of Antonietta Gonzalez
Oil on canvas – 54.5 x 47 cm
Tokyo, National Museum of Western Art
Photo : Tokyo, Musée National d’Art Occidental
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See the image on his page
The history of the work specified by the auction house dates back to the 20th century, no information attached to previous properties is known to date. Mention is made of the collection of the French doctor and psychiatrist Edgar Bérillon who is said to have purchased the painting in London from the dealers and framers M. &. B. Bartington as one of their labels seems to indicate stuck on the back of the frame. Edgar Bérillon published in 1905 a “Psychological and sociological study on bearded women” in the Journal of psychotherapy and applied psychology. If the essay is richly illustrated, the Portrait of Antonietta Gonzales is not there. It is therefore possible that he bought it after 1905, motivated by the subject of his scientific research. The painting then remained with the descendants of the psychiatrist until it was put on sale on the Touraine art market in June 2023.
- 2. Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614)
Portrait of Antonietta…
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