Italian School, 16th century

Possibly the Portrait of a Man, signed by Titian (1.05 by .87 m) and described as being in the collection of the Infante Sebastián Gabriel de Borbón at Pau (catalogue, 1876, p. 76, no. 678 [see Wethey, under Literature]);
With Durlacher Gallery, New York, 1926;
Arthur Sachs, Paris and New York;
By whom given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 21 December 1955 [acc. no. 1955.683].

Cambridge, MA, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, on loan, 1927 and 1931-32;
Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Museum of Art; San Francisco, CA, Palace of the Legion of Honor, Exhibition of the Collection of Arthur Sachs, 1946-1947;
Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, The Venetian Tradition, 1956, no. 23, (as Lorenzo Lotto).

A. L. Mayer, "An unknown portrait of Titian's Middle Period," in Apollo, vol. III, February 1926, pp. 62-63, reproduced p. 63;
L. Venturi, Pitture Italiane in America, Milan 1933, reproduced fig. CCCLXXXI (as Titian and dated either 1533 or 1538);
L. Venturi, Italian Paintings in America, vol. III, New York and Milan 1933, reproduced pl. 514;
L. Bouchage, "Louvre to California: Today's Collectors: Arthur Sachs," in Art News, vol. 45, October 1946, p. 75;
T. C. Howe, Jr., "Two  Paintings by Titian," in California Palace of the Legion of Honor Bulletin, vol. 5, September 1947, pp. 34-39, reproduced p. 34 (as Titian);
B. Berenson, Lotto, Milan 1955, reproduced p. 140, fig. 316 (as Lorenzo Lotto);
B. Berenson, Lorenzo Lotto, London 1956, reproduced p. 105, fig. 316 (as Lorenzo Lotto);
Art Quarterly, XX, Spring 1957, p. 96, reproduced p. 98;
H. S. Francis, "Portraits by Lorenzo Lotto," in Cleveland Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. 44, March 1957, pp. 43-46, reproduced p. 41(as Lorenzo Lotto);
B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance.  Venetian School, London 1957, vol. I, p. 101 (as Lorenzo Lotto);
Cleveland Museum of Art, Handbook, 1958, no. 418, reproduced;
H. E. Wethey, The Paintings of Titian, vol. II, London and New York 1971, no. X-48, p. 167 (as Girolamo Savoldo);
B. Fredericksen and F. Zeri, Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections, Cambridge 1972, pp. 112, 521, 574 (as Lorenzo Lotto);
R. Pallucchini and G. M. Canova, "L'Opera completa del Lotto," in Classici dell'Arte, Milan 1975, vol. 79, no. 352;
Cleveland Museum of Art, Catalogue of Paintings:  Part Three.  European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries, Cleveland 1982, no. 162, pp. 368-370, reproduced p. 369 (as Attributed to Lorenzo Lotto);
A. Chong, European & American Painting in The Cleveland Museum of Art:  A Summary Catalogue, Cleveland 1993, p. 271 (as Italian [Venice]).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has a fairly old lining but the paint layer itself may have been cleaned more recently and at that time it was varnished. The condition is uneven at best and despite the fact that retouches are not visible under ultraviolet light, it is clearly evident that there has been abrasion, not only in the background but in the remainder of the picture, including the figure.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."