Bidspirit auction | DOMÉNIKOS THEOTOKÓPOULOS, EL GRECO (Candia,

DOMÉNIKOS THEOTOKÓPOULOS, EL GRECO (Candia, Crete, 1541 – Toledo, 1614) – Portrait of Don Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, Duke of Lerma (c. 1576-1577) - Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 41 × 31 cm. An important male portrait attributed to Doménikos Theotokópoulos, El Greco, painted around 1576-1577, during the period immediately before or after the painter's arrival in Spain and before his permanent settlement in Toledo. The work depicts a young gentleman in elegant black attire with a fine ruff, rendered with a composition of extraordinary restraint and psychological insight—traits characteristic of the Cretan master's early Spanish portraits. The intensity of the gaze, the delicate modeling of the face, the refined treatment of the lace collar, and the austere lighting against a dark background anticipate techniques that El Greco would later develop in some of his most celebrated portraits. August L. Mayer proposed that the sitter could be Don Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, Duke of Lerma, also noting the close stylistic relationship of the work to the Portrait of Vincenzo Anastagi in the Frick Collection, New York, and to the portrait in the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen. He further considered it an important precursor to the Gentleman with his Hand on his Chest in the Prado Museum. Mayer also suggested that the painting might have come from the former collection of King Louis Philippe of France, identifying it with number 303 in the 1838 catalogue of the Galerie Espagnole. The work passed through the hands of the renowned restorer John Brealey (1925–2002), London, around 1970, subsequently remained in the Galerie Canesso in Paris, and was acquired by the current owner in October 2006. Bibliography: A.L. Mayer, ”An Unknown Portrait by El Greco,” The Burlington Magazine, vol. LXXVII, November 1940, pp. 164-169, pl. 165; Stephan Bourgeois, El Greco; catalog La Grèce de la Crète à Tolède par Venise, Bordeaux, 1953, no. 16; Chefs-d'Œuvre Oubliés, Museums of Saarbrücken and Rouen, no. 23. Exhibitions: La Grèce de la Crète à Tolède par Venise, Bordeaux, 1953, no. 16; Chefs-d'Œuvre Oubliés, Museums of Saarbrücken and Rouen, no. 23. Provenance: Possible former collection of King Louis Philippe of France (according to AL Mayer); Collection of the Countess of Jussey; John Brealey (1925-2002), London; Galerie Canesso, Paris; acquired by the current owner in October 2006. Lot in international warehouse (outside the EU). For shipments to the European Union, import duties and/or taxes will apply and are the responsibility of the buyer.