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| Title | Liberality and Modesty | |
| Alternative Title | Generosity and Modesty | |
| Collection | English Heritage (Chiswick House) | |
| Artist | After Reni, Guido (Italian painter and draftsman, 1575-1642) | |
| Date Earliest | about 1610 | |
| Date Latest | about 1620 | |
| Description | The painting of Liberality and Modesty at Chiswick House is an old copy or studio replica of the original by Guido Reni (1575-1642) in the Spencer collection at Althorp House. The protagonists, two sparely clad women are seen on a terrace with a low parapet beyond which is a glimpse of coastland beneath an extensive area of sky, this sparse setting provides a neutral background highlighting the classically idealised forms of the figures. On the left Liberality is identified by the gold ewer and plate at her feet, with her right hand holding compasses she leans against the parapet, while in her left she offers a shallow dish containing jewels to Modesty on the right, who demurely accepts her gift with down-turned eyes. A cupid flies above them trailing festive ribbons. The neutral colouring of the background not only draws our attention to the figures but also renders more pronounced the subtle harmony produced by their curving forms and the gently contrasting colours of their drapery, pale pink for Liberality and brassy-red for Modesty. Reni's gracefully balanced composition serves to emphasise how complimentary the virtues of Liberality and Modesty are, rendering visible the harmony that results when one serves the other. | |
| Current Accession Number | 88003004 | |
| Former Accession Number | 148 | |
| Subject | allegory (liberality, modesty); figure | |
| Measurements | 282 x 225 cm (estimate) | |
| Material | oil on canvas | |
| Acquisition Details | Transferred to Chiswick as part of the Chatsworth Settlement 1958. | |
| Provenance | Thomas Boswen's sale, Cock's, London 25-28 January 1742/3, lot 15; bought for £15 15s 0d by Lord Burlington, recorded in the New Dining Room at Chiswick House, about 1740 and 1753; Devonshire collection 1753, recorded in the Dome Saloon at Chiswick House by 1845; removed to Chatsworth 1892. | |
| Publications | Dodsley, R. J., London and its Environs Described, 2 vols., 1761, vol. II, 1761, p. 123 as 'Liberality and Modesty, Guido after', in the New Dining Room; Faulkner, T., The History and Antiquities of Brentford, Ealing and Chiswick, London, 1845, p. 398 as 'Liberality and Modesty - Guido. This is a first rate painting, the figures elegantly disposed and beautifully coloured'; Agnew's England and the Seicento, London, 1983, no. 49. | |
| Notes | The painting appears to have been widened and shortened a little to fit the frame designed by William Kent; Reni's original in the Spencer collection at Althorp House, which measures 280cms by 145 cms is smaller than the Chiswick painting. Two drawings relate to the original composition 1) in red chalk of Liberality, Earl of Harewood sale Christie's, London, 6 July 1965, lot 136. 2) in coloured chalk for the head of Liberality, Skippe sale, Christie's, London, 20-21 November 1958, lot 174. |
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| Rights Owner | Copyright English Heritage | |
| Author | Francesco Nevola | |