Luca Cambiaso Moneglia 1527 - 1585 Madrid

Giuseppe Vallardi (L.1223);
sale, Rome, Christie's, 7 November 1989, lot 475, reproduced

 

Ixelles, Musée Communal, de Giorgione à Tiepolo, Dessins italiens du 15e au 18e siècle dans les collections privées et publiques de Belgique, 1993, p. 69, cat. no. 23, reproduced

The drawing is held down by the mount so impossible to free. It is not stuck down in the middle. Two water stains visible at right edge. Crease running from right edge across to top left of sheet. Ink burned through at centre of legs of figure left of centre.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This study corresponds, with some differences, to Cambiaso's fresco of the subject on a ceiling in the Palazzo Lercari-Parodi, Genoa (fig. 1).  The decoration of the room is based on episodes from the story of Niobe, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses.  Suida-Manning dates the work around 1570.¹  A drawing for one of the other scenes in the room is in the Uffizi, and is very similar in style to the present example.²

1. B. Suida-Manning and W. Suida, Luca Cambiaso, Milan 1958, p. 91, cat. no. 1, fig. 287, reproduced.

2. Suida-Manning, op. cit., fig. 290