Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Johann Domink Bossi, 
by descent to his daughter, Maria Theresa Caroline Bossi, who married Carl Christian Friedrich Beyerlen;
sale, Stuttgart, Gutekunst, 27 March 1882;
H. Wendland;
sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 23 May 1930;
Theodore Ohl, Diez, Lahn;
sale, New York, Christie's, 9 January 1991, lot 23

G. Knox, Giambattista and Domenico Tiepolo, A Study and Catalogue Raisonné of the Chalk Drawings, Oxford 1980, vol. I, no. M.652 

Unframed. Hinged at the upper edge. A slight crease from the centre of the right margin across the ear, visible in the catalogue. A few light brown stains at the bottom of the sheet, also visible in the catalogue. The paper appears to be slightly buckled at the upper margin, due to previous hinging. The colours in the catalogue illustration are not as strong as the original, which has green-blue paper and a much stronger chalk.
"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 vivid study of the head of an old man, toothless, bald and wrinkled, but still vigorous, seems to be related to the only known sculpture by Guido Reni, a bronze bust of Seneca, which, according to Malvasia, was reproduced in plaster and used in art academies at the time.¹  A drawing by Giambattista, more closely based on that bust, is in the Lugt Collection, Paris.²  The Tiepolos, for all their inventive skills and freedom of technique, did indeed follow traditional studio practice and make drawings after sculptures (see also lot 51 above).

1. O. Kurz, 'A Sculpture by Guido Reni', in The Burlington Magazine, vol. LXXXI, no. 474, September 1942, pp. 222-226
2. J. Byam Shaw, The Italian Drawings of the Frits Lugt Collection, Paris 1983, vol. I, p. 286, no. 276; vol. II, pl. 326