The Liberality of Titus (Allegory of the Liberality of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu)

Artists

Dimensions

image: 191 x 146.2 cm (75 3/16 x 57 9/16 in.) stretcher: 196.5 x 150.8 cm (77 3/8 x 59 3/8 in.) frame: 222.3 x 176.5 x 15.2 cm (87 1/2 x 69 1/2 x 6 in.)

Provenance

Auguste-Louis-César-Hipolite-Théodore de Lespinasse de Langeac, comte d'Arlet, sold [Mont de Piété, Paris, July 11-19, 1803, lot 235]; [1] to Lovencourt, Paris [2]. Private Collection, Massachusetts. [Richard Gray, Cambridge, MA], sold; to Lewis Nierman, 1968, partial gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1972 Notes [1] Fredericksen states, "As for Lespinasse de Langeac, we know that he died in February, 1814, and was a dealer." "...it is not certain that the Stella was his property" but "three of the extant copies of the catalogue are inscribed with variations of [his name] indicating that he was the principle consigner" (Burton B. Fredericksen, The Getty Information Institute) [2]. Fredericksen states, "The identity of the latter [Lovencourt] is unknown, and the name is found spelled in different ways, including even Novecoure. We have adopted Lovencourt simply because it seems to be the most common and probable form. His activity was very limited, and excepting one purchase in 1801, all of his activity (24 purchases) took place in 1803. We have no idea whether he was a dealer or a collector, nor what happened to his pictures." ( Burton B. Fredericksen, The Getty Information Institute)