Highlights include two paintings by Jusepe de Ribera; a bold and melancholic Saint John the Baptist, 1630s, and a powerful Saint Francis of Assisi which demonstrates great subtlety and realism, in line with its late execution date of 1648. The latter work also notably features a signature which was only uncovered during recent conservation. Corrado Giaquinto’s Saint Cecilia of the early 1750s is a strong example of the artist at his most Roman, and is particularly close in style to the Prado’s Justice and Peace, with its pastel colours, firm, elegant, French-style drawing and clear flesh tonalities.

A Virgin and Child in an excellent state of preservation by The Master of the Female Half-Lengths is an important testimony to the specialist nature of some Flemish studios in the first half of the 16th century. This anonymous painter, known for works such as The Concert in the Harrach Collection (Schloss Rohrau, Austria), in which the figures are depicted half-length, is one of the most appealing Flemish artists of this period.

A pair of beautifully executed marble reliefs of white carrara marble by Jan Baptist Xavery were part of the well-known van Ertborn collection in the nineteenth century. They depict a popular Flemish baroque theme: that of mischievous little angels, also known as putti. Strong examples of the Neapolitan Baroque include a Still life of fish, crustaceans and other seafood by Giuseppe Recco, and a view of the ruined Greek temple complex at Paestum by Antonio Joli.

Finally, two vibrant still-lifes by Agostino Verrocchi, c. 1630s, are true masterpieces by one of the great masters of the genre in Rome in the first half of the 17th century. Recurrent motifs across Verrocchi's production can be recognized here; the symmetrical composition, fluttering butterflies (vanitas symbols), and disorderly placement of groups of fruits and vegetables on the marble ledge. The Winter Exhibition is open at Colnaghi London, 26 Bury Street, from 10 am – 6 pm, Monday – Friday, from 2nd December 2022 - 20th January 2023.