School of Pietro Antonio Rotari (Italian, 1707-1762)

18th Century

Catherine of Russia
oil on canvas
inscribed Piattoli 1766 to the reverse
34 1/4 x 28 3/4 inches.

Property from a Private Collection, Chicago, Illinois

Provenance:

David Ballou Galleries

Estate of Robert Allerton, Monticello, Illinois

Robert Henry Allerton (1873-1964) was the son of Samuel Waters Allerton (1828-1914), a Chicago businessman who amassed a substantial fortune in livestock and banking as a key founder of both the Chicago Union Stockyards and the First National Bank of Chicago (now a part of Chase Bank), among numerous other ventures. The Chicago Tribune once listed Samuel Allerton as the third wealthiest man in Chicago, after only Marshall Field and meatpacking magnate J. Ogden Armour. Construction commenced around the turn of the century on "The Farms," a mansion and 12,000-acre estate in Monticello, Illinois. Robert Allerton developed a keen interest in agriculture, and was tasked with managing the family's estate, but was also a passionate artist, collector and philanthropist in his own right. He officially gifted "The Farms" to the University of Illinois in 1946, and served as an important trustee and donor to the Art Institute of Chicago throughout his lifetime.