Luca Giordano, called Fa Presto

Sale, Monaco, Christie's, 12 July 1993, lot 48, reproduced; acquired at the sale

Giuseppe Scavizzi, 'New Drawings by Luca Giordano', Master Drawings, vol. XXXVII, no.2 (1999), pp. 105-6, 133, no. 15, reproduced fig. 3;
Idem, 'Giordano disegnatore', in Luca Giordano, exhibition catalogue, Naples, Capodimonte, et al., 2001-2, p. 368;
O. Ferrari and G. Scavizzi, Luca Giordano, nuove ricerche e inediti, Naples 2003, pp. 105-6, no. D028, reproduced p. 216

Horizontal crease across middle. Some wear along edges, otherwise condition is fine.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Scavizzi dates this impressive drawing between 1655 and 1660 and writes: 'The expressive, restless line and the vertical, neo-Gothic feeling of the composition recall the Düreresque experiments that Giordano was conducting around 1660.¹  He relates it to several paintings of the subject that Giordano painted at the time, but it is not directly preparatory to any of them, nor to Giordano's print of the same subject which also differs from the paintings.²  It therefore is likely to represent one of a number of compositional variants the artist considered during the genesis of these works.

This drawing, like lot 65, is characteristic of a very atttractive aspect of Giordano's draughtsmanship. The sheets are often tinted red on the recto but not on the verso, on which there are often less finished sketches. The study of the young man with a horse on the back of this page does not seem to be connected to a known work.

1. Scavizzi, loc. cit., 1999

2. O. Ferrari and G. Scavizzi, Luca Giordano, Naples 1992, vol. II, figs 132, 136, 137, 258, 1072.