Camillo Procaccini

Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 29 January 1997, lot 16, where bought by the present owner

Unframed. Two modern hinges at the lower margin of the verso. Two at the top, attaching the drawing. A few tiny pin-point light brown stains, visible in the catalogue. The drawing is in good condition. Two pin-point holes at the lower left margin. The drawing is in good condition and the paper blue, the chalk and heightening much stronger than in the catalogue.
"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 drawing was first recognised as the work of Camillo at the time of the sale in 1997.  It is a preparatory study for the figure of the martyr in the foreground of Camillo's painting, The Martyrdom of Sts. James the Lesser and Philip, now in the Accademia, Ravenna (fig.1).  The altarpiece dates from the early years of the seventeenth century and was once in the basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna.  Nancy Ward Neilson, in her discussion of the style of the altarpiece, writes that it has much in common with the paintings in the Chapel of St. Victor, executed in 1601 for the church of San Vittore al Corpo, Milan.  The present study is stylistically very close to the black chalk study for the executioner to the right of the composition, now in the Ambrosiana, Milan, first attributed to Camillo by Nancy Ward Neilson.¹

1. Inv. no. F 255; N. Ward Neilson, Camillo Procaccini, Paintings and Drawings, New York and London 1979, p. 148, fig. 121