Guglielmo della Porta

Erich Bier, Copenhagen;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 3 July 1996, lot 51, where bought by the present owner

J. Bean and F. Stampfle, Drawings from New York Collections: The Italian Renaissance, exhib. cat., New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1965-66, p. 67, under no. 111;
W. Gramburg, 'Vier Zeichnungen des Guglielmo della Porta zu seiner Serie mythologischen Reliefs', in Jahrbuch der Hambuger Kunstsammlungen, 1968, vol. 13, pp. 69-94, fig. 13;
J. Bean, 15^th and 16^th Century Italian Drawings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1982, p. 200, under no. 195

Unframed. Laid down. Hinged at the top. A loss on the right-hand side towards the margin, visible in the catalogue photo. A slight crease running from the lower margin towards the feet of the central figure. Tiny traces of foxing, although barely noticeable. The paper is slightly buckled at the top The catalogue image is rather yellow, while the original the ink is much darker and the paper creamier.
"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 is one of a group of four surviving drawings by della Porta which relate to a series of sixteen plaques representing scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses.  The other drawings are: The Banquet of the Gods, in the Metropolitan Museum; The Fall of the Giants, in the Pierpont Morgan Library; and The Flaying of Marsyas in the Kunsthalle, Hamburg.  A complete set of the plaques, which were cast in bronze by Jacob Cobaert, is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Jacob Bean writes: 'Guglielmo's spidery draughtsmanship...owes much to Perino del Vaga with whom he collaborated in Genoa and Rome...'.¹

The composition of this drawing is loosely based on Marcantonio Raimondi's print after Raphael.²

1. J. Bean, 1982, loc. cit.
2. G.B. Pezzini et al., Raphael Invenit, Rome 1985, p. 242, no. II.l, illus. p. 802