Catalogue Roberti Fine Art, TEFAF Maastricht 2026 (1) compressed - Flipbook - Page 58
In this charming slate Alessandro Turchi shows three allegorical figures steering the human soul to
safety. Set against the naturally dark background of the stone supports, which represents the
blindness of the lost soul without the guidance of salvation, the figures can be identified, from left,
as the theological virtues of Hope, raising the anchor, Charity/Love, holding a torch, and Faith,
steering the boat to redemption. Presumably their configuration is intended to suggest that Hope
and Charity/Love are supporting Faith, the foundation underpinning all Christian doctrine.
The painting once formed part of the Manfrin collection in Venice, one of the most celebrated
collections of its time, which had been put together by the wealthy merchant Marchese Girolamo
Manfrin. The collection was housed in Venice9s Palazzo Venier and comprised more than four
hundred paintings, including such masterpieces as Giorgione's Tempest, today in the Galleria
dell9Accademia in Venice. Following Girolamo9s death, the collection passed through several
generations before it was dispersed from around 1851 onwards, with a final auction taking place in
1897.
Born in Verona, Turchi received his initial training in the studio of Felice Brusasorci, to whom the
paintings was once attributed, and moved to Rome circa 1614. The popular moniker
