Thanks to a generous donation by collector Dr Günter Leidner, the holdings of the Gemäldegalerie were recently expanded to include three major works by the northern Italian painters Antonio Zanchi, Cristoforo Savolini and Daniele Crespi. After undergoing extensive restoration work, the paintings will now be presented to the public along with other works from northern Italy as part of a special display. This exhibition represents the swansong of the Gemäldegalerie’s long-serving curator, Roberto Contini.

Previously, the holdings of Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie were somewhat thin when it came to works of Italian painting from the 17th century, and this was particularly true of works from northern Italy. A generous donation of three paintings by the Ludwigsburg-based collector Dr Günter Leidner is now helping to fill that gap. The trio of works are by the painters Antonio Zanchi, Cristoforo Savolini and Daniele Crespi, and they have all undergone extensive restoration work for the exhibition.

Samson and Delilah by Antonio Zanchi

The depiction of Samson and Delilah by Antonio Zanchi, a member of the Venetian School, had already occasionally adorned the Gemäldegalerie’s room on 18th-century Venetian painting as a supraporte. Now, this large canvas will complement the paintings of late-Baroque Venice. Though these works are not great in number, many of them are of great quality, as evinced, for example, by Pietro Liberi’s Diana and Actaeon or Apollo’s Music Competition by Johann Carl Loth. As part of this presentation, Loth’s work will go on display for the first time in many years.

Saint Lucretia by Cristoforo Savolini (attributed)

With a high degree of probability, this depiction of the suicide Lucretia is the work of Cristoforo Savolini from Cesena. The painting complements the museum’s holdings from the Emilian School and exhibits stylistic echoes of the works of Guercino’s school in Romagna. One of the artists from this school was Guido Cagnacci, who had a major influence on Savolini.

Tobias Healing His Father by Daniele Crespi

The third new accession, the painting Tobias Healing His Father by Daniele Crespi, also represents a major addition to the collection of the Gemäldegalerie. Previously, the painters of the Lombard School of the 17th century were represented by a single work by Francesco Cairo, Joseph’s Dream. Crespi was a student of Cerano and Giulio Cesare Procaccini, but died early, meaning that his surviving works are rare.

Other Works in the Exhibition

Alongside the three paintings from the Leidner Collection and the works by Loth and Cairo, the exhibition will include a privately loaned depiction of Abraham Casting out Hagar from the Venetian School of the late 17th century as well as three other works from the Gemäldegalerie’s holdings. These last three, which have never before been on display, are a Penitent Magdalene by Genoese painter Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari, a depiction of John the Baptist as a Boy from the circle of the famous Il Cerano (actually Giovanni Battista Crespi), and a small-format work featuring Polyphemus and Galatea that has been attributed to Pasqualino Rossi, a painter from Vicenza who was particularly active in the Marche region.

Curator

The exhibition The Leidner Donation: Northern Italian Painting from the 17th Century was curated by Roberto Contini, the long-serving curator of 16th- and 17th-century Italian and Spanish painting and 17th-century French painting at the Gemäldegalerie. This special display is Roberto Contini’s farewell show after 24 years of service at the Gemäldegalerie, after which he will enter his will-earned retirement.

Exhibition Publication

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue published by Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg, 80 pages, ISBN 978-3-7319-1399-3, price: €19.95.

A special presentation by the Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin