G. Serenario - Agony Christ - Drawing XVIIIth

Gaspare SERENARIO (Palermo 1707 - 1759)
Agony in the garden of Gethsemane
Pen and black ink, grey wash
45.5 x 31.2 cm rounded at the top
Stains, folds and foxing
Framed

Provenances:
- Possibly former Sir Joshua Reynolds collection, his mark lower left (L.2364 )
- Possibly former Thomas Hudson collection, close mark lower left (L.2432)

Comparative work:
- The Triumph of Youth, Fine Art, Van Ham Kunstauktionen, 17/05/2024, lot n°1082

Majestic Agony on the Mount of Olives by Gaspare SERENARIO (1707-1759) from Palermo. Initially active in Rome, for a long time as an assistant and pupil of Sebastiano Conca, he did not return to Palermo until 1750, where his career soared until his untimely death in 1759. The drawing presented here, with its very advanced level of finish, was probably preparatory to a decoration that has now been lost, or a model that was not kept for a commission. It depicts one of the most emotionally intense episodes of the Passion, the Agony in the Garden of Olives, an intimate scene in which Jesus' humanity is highlighted by his fear of the chalice, the symbol of his impending death, which he must accept: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.

The attribution to Serenario, whose graphic language is best known for his Saint Benedict preserved at the Met Museum (INV. 17.236.22), was made possible by the recent appearance at auction of another sheet by the artist, this time signed and depicting a ‘triumph of youth’ (see photo) of similar workmanship and medium.

One final point: the presence of two marks referring to the collections of Sir Thomas Hudson (L.2432) and Sir Joshua Reynolds (L.2364). Although these marks are apocryphal, it is likely that the drawing was indeed part of their collections, purchased by Hudson during his Italian tour in 1752 and stamped on a mount removed by a previous collector who brought back the marks by hand on the sheet.

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