CARLO SPIRIDIONE MARIOTTI (1726-1790)

A GENTLEMAN WITH HIS BARBER
Bears collector's stamp l.r. [L.3561]
Pencil with pen & ink and wash
19.6 x 13.9 cm
 
PROVENANCE: 

Paul Mathias Polakovits (1921-1987), Paris [Lugt 3561];

Susanna Agnelli (1922-2009), Rome;

Private Collection, U.K.
 
 
 
 

Mariotti studied under Giacinto Boccanera and Antonio Maria Garbi in Perugia. He was best-known for his small-scale genre scenes, many of which show intimate interiors such as the present subject's.
Seventy of Spiridione’s sketchbooks were purchased by the Regional Council of Umbria in 1974, containing a broad variety of subject matter: figure studies, religious and mythological compositions, portraits, caricatures, sketches for theatrical costumes, landscapes and, in particular, scenes of Perugian life. They provide an evocative social and local history of Perugia in the late 18th century. 
A self-portrait of the artist is in the Harvard Art Museums, MA (acc. no. 2001.261).