Pietro Buonaccorsi, dit Perino del Vaga

Marque associée autrefois à Pierre Crozat (L.474);
Sir Joshua Reynolds (L.2364);
Eugène Calando (L.837)

The following condition report has been provided by Caroline Corrigan, 17-25 rue Charles Graindorge, 93170 Bagnolet, Tel: 33 (0)1 43 63 25 44, Email : caroline.corrigan@wanadoo.fr, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. Generally in good condition. The paper is somewhat fragile in a few areas where the lines of ink are thickest (due to the acidity of the ink affecting the sheet). A few small losses in the lower right corner, and the upper right.
"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."

Bien que ce dessin ne puisse être rattaché à aucune décoration ou travail connu de Perino del Vaga, le style et les sujets de ces compositions semblent être liés à la décoration d'un palais, plus probablement le Palazzo Doria à Fassolo, non loin du port de Gênes. Le Sac de Rome par les troupes impériales en mai 1527 avait conduit un grand nombre d'artistes, parmi lesquels Perino, à fuir la ville pour se réfugier à Gênes, à la cour d'Andrea Doria qui y régnait depuis peu.

Perino del Vaga fut appelé par Doria à décorer le palais situé à proximité de Fassolo, palais que ce dernier avait acquis auprès de Giacomo Lomellino en 1521. L'artiste se vit confier la décoration sous divers aspects, incluant les stucchi, les cadres de cheminée, les tapisseries ou encore les ornements de façade. La plus grande partie de ces travaux fut achevée dès 1533, mais Perino séjourna cependant à Gênes jusqu'en 1537.

Le recto et le verso de cette feuille semblent illustrer des sujets empruntés à l'histoire antique. Le thème choisi pour le décor du Palazzo Doria porte sur l'histoire du héros romain Camillus qui avait sauvé les Romains des Gaulois, établissant ainsi un parallèle évident avec les exploits d'Andrea Doria, ayant libéré Gênes des Français. Notre dessin présente donc très probablement des scènes de la vie de Camillus. Ces études auraient pu servir à la décoration intérieure ou même extérieure de l'édifice, d'autant que nous savons que Perino del Vaga fit également des études pour les façades nord et sud du palais ; deux d'entre elles sont en effet respectivement conservées au Musée Condé de Chantilly et au Rijskmuseum d'Amsterdam.¹


1. Respectivement, nos inv. 85 (75) et RP-T-1948-133; Voir Perino del Vaga tra Raffaello e Michelangelo, cat. d'exp., Mantoue, Palazzo Te, 2001, pp. 205-6,  no. 97, reproduits.



RECTO: STUDIES FOR A WALL DECORATION WITH TWO DIFFERENT COMPOSITIONS: THREE SOLDIERS IN FRONT OF A SEATED FIGURE AND TWO MEN IN A BOAT, WITH VARIOUS OTHER SKETCHES;
VERSO: STUDY FOR A FIGURE OFFERING A CUP TO A FIGURE SEATED ON A THRONE, AND A SEPARATE STUDY FOR A FRIEZE

Pen and brown ink (recto and verso);
bears inscription in brown ink, lower right: Perino del Vaga, and verso: peri del vaga; pierino del vaga;

Although this double sided sheet cannot be connected with any surviving decorations or known works by Perino, the style and subjects of these compartments suggest a relation with a palace decoration, most probably with the Palazzo Doria in Fassolo, On the outskirts of the port of Genoa. The devastating Sack of Rome by the Imperial troops in May 1527 had forced a great number of artists, among them Perino, to flee from Rome and seek refuge in Genoa, at the Court of Andrea Doria, who had recently become ruler of the city. 

Perino was engaged by Andrea Doria to embellish both the outside and the interior of the palace in nearby Fassolo that Doria had bought in 1521 from Giacomo Lomellino. Perino's commission included designing every aspect of the palace decorations, including stucchi, chimneypieces, tapestries and façade decorations. Most of the work was completed by 1533 but Perino remained in Genoa on and off until 1537.

The recto and verso of the present sheet appear to illustrate compartments with subjects related to ancient history. The theme chosen for the Palazzo Doria decorations focused on the history of the Roman hero Camillus, who had saved the Romans from the Gauls, an obvious parallel to the exploits of the admiral Andrea Doria, who liberated Genoa from the French. So it is most likely that these drawn compartments do represent scenes from the life of Camillus. These could have been related not only to the interior but also to the exterior, as we know that Perino also made studies for the north and south façades of the palace; two of these studies, both related to the north façade, survive, in the Musée Condé, Chantilly and in the Rijskmuseum, Amsterdam .¹

1. Inv. nos. 85 (75) and RP-T-1948-133, respectively; See Perino del Vaga tra Raffaello e Michelangelo, exhibition catalogue, Mantua, Palazzo Te, 2001, pp. 205-6,  no. 97,  both reproduced.