Sibyl

Zampieri Domenico called Domenichino

(Bologna 1581 - Naples 1641)

This canvas depicts a Sibyl, according to an unusual iconography, as this subject is generally portrayed without musical attributes, which this painting contains. Domenichino was known for his musical skills, and well acquainted with the world of music, and refers to it through both the scroll with the notes and the handle of the viola da gamba, an instrument used to accompany the song that seems to come from the prophetess’ partially open mouth. The grapevine, painted behind the sibyl, also refers to this sphere, as does the laurel, a tree sacred to Apollo, god of music and the arts.

Object details

Commentary

Scipione Borghese purchased this work by Domenichino in 1617, as is proven by a receipt for 150 scudi given to the artist ‘for the payment of two paintings’ (Della Pergola 1955, p. 28), which no doubt refer to this Sibyl and The Hunting of Diana (inv. no. 53). The sale is further confirmed by Giovan Pietro Bellori (1672, p. 353), who in his Lives stated that the Bolognese painter executed the work for the rich, powerful cardinal, contradicting what Giovan Pietro Zanotti maintained with regard to the provenance of the work from the collection of the Albergati family (Malvasia 1678 (1841), p. 244). In addition, as we see from the only known drawing for this work (Windsor Castle, P.H. no. 100v), the painting was executed in 1617, the year in which the artist signed the contract for the Fano frescoes, which not by chance were sketched on the back of a sheet which contains a charcoal study for the pose of the prophetess on its front side (Spear 1996, p. 422).

In all likelihood, the iconography of this painting was suggested by the cultured Scipione: known in his day for his musical interests, he possessed a 17th-century treatise on the sibyls (Trinchieri Camiz 1992, pp. 34-35). In spite of this evidence for the identity of the subject of the painting, it was variously described in the oldest sources: as a ‘Muse’ by Iacomo Manilli in 1650 (p. 85), as ‘St Cecilia’ by the compiler of the 1700 inventory, and as an allegory of ‘Music’ in 1790.

Yet as the turban suggests, the canvas undoubtedly depicts a sibyl – most likely that of Cumae – who is about to play a viola da gamba. According to critics, the instrument, together with the score, alludes to the musical circle of Gerolamo Giacobbi, a Bolognese composer who knew Domenichino (Disertori 1967, p. 17). The sibyl’s fine facial features, framed by blond hair gathered in a lavish headdress, show a clear connection with the Bolognese school. Indeed, her gaze is typical of the female figures depicted by Guido Reni. Her slightly parted lips, meanwhile, perhaps indicate that she is thinking about the piece to be played. We further note the presence of several laurel leaves beyond the wall in the background; this tree was sacred to Apollo, the protector of the arts and music. The grape leaves on the left, on the other hand, allude to Bacchus, the god of the vine and poetic inspiration. The vine also refers to Christ, whose coming was in fact announced to the Emperor Augustus by a sibyl, according to the poet Virgil (Eclogues, IV). Kristina Hermann Fiore (1989, pp. 111-113), however, gives a different interpretation of the objects behind the sibyl: the vine and the laurel symbolise worldly inspiration and divine victory, respectively, while the wall indicates the limits of human effort.

The great popularity of this canvas led to the production of numerous replicas, including a copy with slight variations. Held today in the Wallace Collection in London, this copy probably came from the Ratta family in Bologna; it was purchased by the Marchioness of Hertford (Wallace Collection 1928, p. 83). A version, perhaps of later date, is on display at the Pinacoteca Capitolina.

Engravings of the work were made in the 18th century by Tullio Marcucci and Pietro Fontana (post 1794).

  Antonio Iommelli