Lot 108
  • 108

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description

  • Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
  • Study of a figure with a turban and raised arms, seen from below
  • Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk;
    bears numbering in black chalk, verso5

Provenance

Probably Count Algarotti-Corniani, Venice;
from whom bought by Edward Cheney in 1852,
by descent to Colonel Alfred Capel-Cure,
his sale, London, Sotheby's, 29 April 1885, presumably part of lot 1024;
sale, London, Christie's, 14 July 1914, lot 49, purchased by E. Parsons and Sons, London;
sale, Paris, Ader Tajan, 15 May 1992, lot 141 bis

Condition

Hinged to mount at left margin. Overall in good condition. There are glue stains in the four corners of the sheet, where sheet was previously laid down, more prominent in the lower left and right corners. There is some staining and surface dirt around the outer margins of the sheet. Medium remains fresh and vibrant. Sold in a wooden, gilded, 19th century frame.
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 drawing is most probably part of a large group of studies by Tiepolo once contained in an album titled Sole Figure per Soffitti which was broken up after 1914 (see Provenance).  This study cannot be related to a specific commission but it has been suggested that all these figure types were drawn around 1758-60 and most certainly served as a visual archive to which Tiepolo could refer for his painted commissions.  He was clearly fascinated by the challenge of depicting these foreshortened figures which are so often admired in his paintings and drawings.

For further information on the provenance of the album, see G. Knox, Tiepolo Drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1960, p. 5.