The picture of “Silvio, Dorinda and Linco” (taken from Giambattista Guerini’s poem “Il Pastor Fido” was painted for the Conte Alfonso Gonzaga di Novellara towards the end of 1646, and paid for in two instalments on 16 January and 27 July 1647 (entries in Guercino’s account book.) A letter to the patron of 1 October 1646 from a visitor to Guercino’s studio recorded that the master was then at work on it (published in 1855 on pp.44-5 of “Gli artisti italiani e stranieri negli stati estensi”, by G. Campori, who also published two other letters to the patron from his agent of 13 December 1646 and 4 August 1647 referring to the painting). The picture was recorded in an inventory of the Gonzaga di Novellara collection published in 1870 in “Raccolta di cataloghi ed inventari inediti” by G. Campori, who stated (p.638) that it was compiled after the death of the Conte Filippo di Novellara in 1728; the entry for the “Silvio, Dorinda and Linco” was published on p.643, with the very high valuation of 400 doubloons.

The picture must have been sold very soon after this, and found its way to Madrid (where it momentarily acquired an attribution to Caravaggio), and was brought there on behalf of Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, in 1744. But in the inventory of 1747-50 drawn up by the knowledgeable Pietro Guarienti who was in charge of the King’s pictures, it was already recorded under its correct authorship. It has remained in the Dresden Gallery ever since.

In his life of Guercino of 1808 (Jacopo Alessandro) J.A. Calvi described in detail (p.32) a picture of this unusual subject which he had seen in a collection in Bologna, and which he believed to be Guercino’s original painted for Novellara: but must of course have been a good copy.

Denis Mahon