Old Master Drawings

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Lot 2
  • 2

Attributed to Baldassare Peruzzi

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Baldassare Peruzzi
  • cartoon with a male and female head facing left

  • Drawn with the brush and brown wash on brown-washed paper; incised;
    bears attribution on the back of the drawing:  Giulio Romano

Condition

Laid down on a thicker paper for support. The sheet has suffered quite a bit however the image and medium still remain strong. There appears to have been an extra strip of paper added along the upper margin, where one can visibly see a strong line of division between the two sections of paper. There are a number of cracks and creases in the paper and some restoration work may have taken place lower left of the sheet where one can see where tears have been repaired. There are a few areas of abrasion where the support is visible.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

This very interesting and rare cartoon, although it does not seem to relate to one of Baldassare Peruzzi's known works, can be plausibly attributed to him.  The physiognomy of the woman's face shares much with Peruzzi's  Sienese female type; the slightly oblique eyes and the pointed nose are features encountered quite often in his drawings and paintings.  The man's head reflects Peruzzi's Roman association with the school of Raphael, therefore this could be a work of around 1511 when he was working in the Vatican and in the Villa Farnesina.  Vasari writes that Peruzzi anticipated Polidoro da Caravaggio in painting façades in chiaroscuro and also did grisaille decorations.1  The use of wash in the present cartoon recalls the technique of a grisaille painting.

1.  G. Vasari, Le Vite dei più eccellenti Pittori Scultori ed Architetti, ed. G. Milanesi, Florence 1879, vol. IV, pp. 592 to 594