Francesco Guarino

A quintessential example of Neapolitan painting, is Francesco Guarino's Portrait of a Saint. This depiction, most likely of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, is influenced by the chiaroscuro of Caravaggio and enriched by the realism of Jusepe de Ribera. It exemplifies Guarino's mature style from the 1640s. The dramatic interplay of thick, contrasting whites and blacks in the drapery is illuminated by a divine light from above, while the saint's pale features are enlivened by the delicate rose of her cheeks and the soft pastel tones of her robes.

Francesco Guarino trained in the studio of his father, Giovanni Tommaso Guarino, in Solofra before moving to Naples, where he worked under Massimo Stanzione. In half-length female portraits such as this, Guarino responds to the influences of Stanzione and Bernardo Cavallino, developing a pictorial language marked by original compositional solutions and refined sensuality, typically conveyed through languid poses and a three-quarter turn of the figure.

Francesco Furini

Francesco Furini’s Mary Magdalen Renouncing Worldly Vanity is a fascinating piece. It is closely related to another version traditionally identified as a Self-Portrait of Artemisia Gentileschi with a Casket of Jewels, formerly in the Dashwood Collection in West Wycombe, England. The Dashwood version has been variously attributed over time as a work by Artemisia Gentileschi, Francesco Furini or Vincenzo Mannozzi, and as by an artist in the circle of Angelo Caroselli. Following research and stylistic analysis, Professor Francesca Baldassari has now definitively attributed the present work to Francesco Furini. This revised attribution reflects a broader re-evaluation of the group of works previously associated with Gentileschi, and aligns with Furini's known approach to composition, figuration, and handling of allegorical subjects.

Sir Anthony Van Dyck

From a series of works by the Northern counterparts of Guarino and Furini, we have Sir Anthony Van Dyck’s The Head of a Man. It was once believed to be a picture by Peter Paul Rubens, before being later ascribed to his pupil Anthony van Dyck. This work is in fact a study for Vertumnus in the painting of Vertumnus and Pomona which can be found in the Galleria di Palazzo Bianco in Genoa.

According to Metamorphoses, Ovid describes how Vertumnus, capable of transforming his appearance at will, disguises himself as an old woman to get closer to the nymph Pomona. Van Dyck interprets this episode with psychological nuance in his Genoa painting, deliberately placing Vertumnus against a backlit setting that conceals his identity. The present oil study, likely painted from life using an elderly model, allowed Van Dyck to explore the dramatic illumination and characterization necessary for this transformation. The artist then reworked the physiognomy of the figure to align with the mythological narrative, translating the old man's features into a more youthful and idealized guise in the finished composition.

Jan Both

Travellers in a Landscape by Jan Both, dates to the 1640s, the artist's most influential period, which coincided with his sojourn in Rome. Here, Both, following in the footsteps of Claude Lorrain, captures the beauty of the Roman countryside with its golden light and expansive plains. His landscapes, alongside the works of contemporaries such as Jan Asselijn and Nicolaes Berchem, were highly sought after and collected internationally.

View page turning catalogue

Auction Details

Tuesday 4 November 2025, 10.30am GMT
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE, UK

Bidding is available in person at our salerooms, online, by telephone or you can leave commission (absentee) bids.

Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

Viewing in London (Highlights):
Dreweatts, 16-17 Pall Mall, St James’s, London SW1Y 5LU
Friday 17 - Wednesday 22 October (no weekend viewing)

Viewing in Newbury (Full sale):
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE, UK
Saturday 1 - Monday 3 November

Further information:
General enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | pictures@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com