Alessandro Magnasco, called il Lissandrino

Hinged a the top. Four pin point holes, one each corners. Some discoloration and slight damage only near the corners. Overall in good condition and media is fresh. On the verso foxing scattered over the whole page, only very slightly visible on the recto.
"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 rare, finished, and very pictorial sheet by Magnasco depicts a concert in a tavern, among ruins.  Magnasco devoted a number of paintings to the representation of very similar subjects, at different times in his career.  One of the closest compositions is the painting known as Concert in a cellar, formerly in a private collection, Paris,¹ which seems to date from the mid-1720s.  Stylistically the present drawing can be closely associated with an earlier sheet executed in the same media, formerly in the Marelli collection, Bergamo.²   The latter is only the left section of a bigger composition known from a painted version, which represents A Quaker Meeting, now in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.³  The painting has been dated to circa 1709-10, a dating which also seems to be plausible for the present drawing.

1.  L. Muti and D. De Sarno Prignano, Alessandro Magnasco, Faenza 1994, p. 246, no. 272, reproduced fig. 281
2.  B. Geiger, Magnasco, Bergamo 1949, reproduced fig. 189
3.  Muti and De Sarno Prignano, op. cit., p. 262, no. 357, reproduced fig. 221