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Giuseppe Macpherson (1726-c. 1780)

Giuseppe Cesari (1568-1640) c.1772-80

Watercolour on ivory | 6.9 x 5.5 cm (sight) (sight) | RCIN 421209

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  • Known as the Cavaliere d'Arpino, Giuseppe Cesari (1568-1640) was the son of Muzio di Polidoro, a painter, and Giovanna, the daughter of a Spanish nobleman. He went to Rome in 1582 with his mother and began work on the decoration of the Vatican palace. He is particularly renowned for his great decorative schemes including the sacristy of the Certosa di S Martino in Naples from 1589 to 1591 and, in Rome, the Palazzo dei Conservatori from1596 to1640, and the cappella Paolina in S Maria Maggiore from 1605 to1612. He reached the height of his reputation with the direction of the mosaic decorations for the cupola of S Pietro (1603-12). His dazzling career brought him commissions from the powerful leaders of his day – the Emperor Rudolph II and the kings of France and Spain. Cesari attained a high social position and was able to buy a palace on the Via del Corso in Rome and another in Arpino. After the death of Pope Clement VIII, however, he fell into disgrace. In 1607, he was falsely accused of possessing firearms and was imprisoned and all his goods confiscated. As part of the negotiations for his release, a settlement was reached through which the nephew of Pope Paul V, Scipione Borghese, gained possession of Cesari's important collection of paintings. He was elected principal of the Accademia di S Luca, the guild of artists in Rome, in 1599, 1615, and 1629. Giovanni Baglione, a contemporary, described him as having 'a good complexion … very rarely ill ... walked fast, proud, bizarre … lively' but he also 'always spoke badly of the Spanish and of priests from whom he had received so many benefits since he was a child'. A number of his drawings are in the Royal Collection.

    This miniature is one of the collection of copies of 224 self-portraits by artists in the Uffizi Palace, Florence, that Lord Cowper, the art collector and patron, commissioned from Giuseppe Macpherson (1726-80). He presented the miniatures to King George III in two batches, in 1773 and 1786. Macpherson followed the original self-portraits quite closely, but copied only the head and shoulders. He inscribed the artists' names on the backs of the miniatures – several differ from those in the modern Uffizi catalogue, notably: Bazzi, Bellini, Campi, Annibale Carracci, Gabbiani, Masaccio, Metsys, Moroni, Pencz, Licinio, Schiavone and Spada. None of the miniatures is signed, apart from Macpherson's own self-portrait, which is inscribed: Giuseppe Macpherson / Autore della serie (Giuseppe Macpherson / Author of the series). Macpherson was born in Florence, the son of Donald Macpherson, a footman in the service of Alexander, 2nd duke of Gordon. He was a pupil of Pompeo Batoni and painted miniatures and enamel portraits in Italy, France and Germany, finally settling in Florence. A James Macpherson is recorded in London and Paris in 1754 but it is not certain that this is the same person. He was described in 1776 as having a special talent for painting on enamel and as being 'almost the only painter in Europe who possesses this art to perfection'. He had a distinguished client list which included some of the crowned heads and dignitaries of Europe. In 1778, he was invited to add his own self-portrait to the famous painters in the grand duke's collection as it 'would do honour to Florence to enrich the collection with a work which shows that we still have some men of true merit', according to Giuseppe Pelli, director of the Uffizi.


    Provenance

    Presented to George III by Lord Cowper

  • Medium and techniques

    Watercolour on ivory

    Measurements

    6.9 x 5.5 cm (sight) (sight)

  • Alternative title(s)

    Giuseppe Cesari (1568-1640), called il Cavaliere d'Arpino


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