Sorin IFTIMI, O ADDENDA LA PORTRETISTICA LUI NICOLO LIVADITI (1830-1858)

Revista „Cercetări istorice” – XXXII / 2013

Abstract

In 2012, a retrospective exhibition dedicated to Livaditi’s work was organized in Iasi and on this occasion, an album was published reuniting most of his portraits (Sorin Iftimi, Corina Cimpoeșu, Marcelina Brîndușa Munteanu, Corina Cimpoeșu, Marcelina Brîndușa Munteanu, Niccolo Livaditi și epoca sa (1832-1858). Artă și istorie, Palatul Culturii Publishing House, Iasi, 2012, pp. 253). Subsequently, some other paintings by Livaditi were identified: Portrait of Physician Anton Fotino (1832), A Man’s Portrait (~1840) part of a private collection, Portrait of a Young Man (~ 1850-1858) in the collection of the National Art Museum of Romania, another portrait, considered to be the one of Smaranda Vogoride, the wife of Prince Mihail Sturdza (private collection), whose identity is debatable. We resumed the discussion on Anastasie Bașotă’s portrait (The Art Museum of Fălticeni), which is signed and dated by Livaditi (1830). This is his oldest known work. Portraits of Spouses Zoe and Emanoil Boteanu (1851-1856), though unsigned by the author, have been recently put on sale in an auction as being also the work of Niccolo Livaditi. This is rather unlikely considering the family was from Wallachia and not from Moldavia. Based on their clothing items, we were able to provide a much more precise dating of the two portraits. The biographical medallions of the two personages are an example as for how the historical documentation can increase the value of such paintings.