Portrait of Marie de Medici (1575-1642) Queen of France
inscribed along the top '. MARIA . MED . REGa . GALLIAE .'
oil on canvas
63.5 x 48.5cm

Provenance:
Christie's South Kensington, 9th April 1987, lot 206, as 'Circle of Alessandro Allori',
when acquired by Claudine Auger (1941-2019) Belgravia, London

This is an early copy of the head of the full length composition by Santi di Tito of Marie de Medici of c.1599, before she became Queen Consort to Henry IV of France, that used be no. 2312 in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, and is now in the Palazzo Pitti.

Condition Report

Oil on canvas which has been lined. The canvas has good tension and the picture is in plane. The paint layers are stable but worn and abraded following the tops of the canvas weave. The background has been extensively overpainted. There is less overpaint in the figure. In the face the small areas of overpaint have darkened, notably covering the diagonal scratch through the sitter’s face. Old residues of varnish are present in the background. The surface is even and semi-matte overall. The frame is in a good condition.