Giulio Cesare Procaccini

J. Skippe (L.1529b),
by descent to Edward Holland-Martin,
his sale, London, Christie's, 20-21 November 1958, lot 169b;
with Trinity Fine Art, London, An Exhibition of Italian Old Master Drawings 1500-1800, 1990, no. 20;
with Trinity Fine Art, Paris, Salon du Dessin, Dessins Anciens de l'École Lombarde, 2001, no. 18

H. Brigstocke, 'Il Seicento Lombardo at Milan', The Burlington Magazine, CXV (1973), p. 698, recto reproduced fig. 105;
H. Brigstocke, Procaccini in America, exhib. cat., New York, Hall & Knight, 2002, verso reproduced p. 15, pl. 15;
N. Ward Neilson, Giulio Cesare Procaccini: Disegnatore, Busto Arsizio 2004, pp. 47-8, no. 29, pl. 1 (recto), fig. 14 (verso); p. 67, under no. 78

A vertical fold in the middle and two creases running vertically in the paper on the left side. Staining from glue all around the margins. In three places, tiny losses, from the ink biting the paper and on the final female figure at the bottom on the left side, bearly visible. A few light stains on the recto to the left hand side of the sheet in the middle section, not very noticeable. A little staining on the verso and some of the ink from the recto is coming through slightly. Overall the drawing is in good condition.
"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."

The compositional study on the verso has been associated with one of Procaccini's earliest recorded commissions, the Pietà which was installed on the altar of a chapel in Santa Maria presso San Celso, Milan, in March 1604.  A related drawing, showing individual figures and groupings, is in the Ambrosiana, and a chalk compositional study, very close to the painting, is in the Metropolitan Museum.¹

The study on the left half of the recto, showing Christ on the way to Calvary, and figures around Him, can also be related to two drawings in the Ambrosiana showing looser groupings of figures for the same subject.²  They have not been connected to a surviving work. The figures on the right half of the recto are larger in scale and could be for people watching the procession to Calvary.  Ward Neilson believes that the writing on the verso is probably in Procaccini's hand. This drawing relates stylistically to others in the Ambrosiana, as well as the ones mentioned already, which are considered early works and which perhaps came from a sketchbook. 

1. N. Ward Neilson, op. cit., p. 66, no. 76, reproduced fig. 13; and p. 76, no. 104, reproduced fig. 12
2. Ibid., p. 66, no. 77, reproduced fig. 21; p. 67, no. 78, reproduced fig. 22