Robilant+Voena is delighted that the full-length portrait of Prince Camillo Borghese by François-Pascal-Simon Gérard (1770-1837) has been acquired by The Frick Collection. The occasion marks the first time the museum has purchased a painting in nearly three decades.
The sitter was Napoleon's brother-in-law and avid patron of the arts; he is depicted here in shortly after Napoleon appointed him governor of Northern Italy. He stands in front of La Superga, an important basilica in Turin, and wears the Legion of Honor, and an elaborate blue cape that is today preserved at the Museo Napoleonico in Rome.
About the acquisition, Edmondo di Robilant commented: “I am delighted that this exceptional work will be a part of The Frick Collection, a distinguished institution where it can be admired for generations to come. We feel extremely honoured to be the first old master dealers to sell a painting to the museum in nearly 30 years."
Marco Voena remarked, “The Frick is a rightfully prestigious place for this exceptional picture, which has been passed by descent within the Borghese family since it was commissioned. The exceptional-nature of the portrait can be understood in the context of the masterpieces held in The Frick Collection.”
The Frick, which was established by collector Henry Clay Frick, is one of the pre-eminent small art museums in the world that houses an outstanding collection of paintings, sculptures and decorative arts. The acquisition of Gérard's masterpiece demonstrates the painting’s art-historical significance and beauty.
Read the Frick's press release here.