Old Masters, British & European Paintings - Day 1 - 11th August 2021

Lot 361

Francesco Sleter (Italian 1685-1775)

Estimate £2,000 - £3,000 | Hammer £5500

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Description

Francesco Sleter (Italian 1685-1775)

The Triumph of Cybele

Oil on canvas

33 x 60cm; 13 x 23½in

Provenance:

From the collection of Edward Croft-Murray (1907-1980)

Literature:

Edward Croft-Murray, Decorative painting in England 1537 - 1837, vol II (Country Life, 1970), p.91, plate 25

Exhibited:

Twickenham, Marble Hill House, English Baroque Sketches: The Painted Interior in the Age of Thornhill, May-July 1974, cat. no. 29

This is a study of the ceiling design for the east staircase at Grimsthorpe Castle. The east wing of the house was extensively remodelled by Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), and the other staircase was decorated by Sir James Thornhill (1657/76-1734). Francesco Sleter also painted the ceiling in the state dining room, and his oil sketch for this is in the Tate (inv. no. TO3465).