Polidoro Caldara, called Polidoro da Caravaggio

Jean-Denis Lempereur (L.1740);
Marquis Philippe de Chennevières (1820-1899), according to J. P. Heseltine catalogue;
John Postle Heseltine (L.1507);
Henry Oppenheimer,
his sale, London, Christie's, 10 July 1936, lot 72a (as Correggio);
Count Tito Rasini

Original Drawings by the Old Masters of the Italian School, forming part of the Collection of J.P.H., privately printed, London, 1913, no. 15 (as Correggio);
A.E. Popham, Correggio's Drawings, London 1957, p. 186, no. A78

Hinge mounted along the right edge to a 20th century mount. The sheet is in very good condition with the red chalk medium fresh and vibrant throughout. There are two small areas, to the verso, where blue paper from an old mount has transferred onto the upper and lower right corners. Overall the work is in very fine 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."

Though this drawing was believed to be the work of Correggio when in the Heseltine and Oppenheimer collections, this attribution was rejected by A.E. Popham, who felt it was stylistically closer to Parmigianino than Correggio (see Literature).  The recently suggested attribution to Polidoro has been endorsed from an image by Pierluigi Leone de Castris, who has proposed a dating of around 1526.  In those years, there was surely a mutual influence between Polidoro and Parmigianino, the brilliant young Parmese artist who had arrived in Rome in 1524.  The study on the recto would seem to be for a Madonna del Latte. The sheet is executed with intensity and vigour in a deep red chalk, characteristic of Polidoro's energetic use of the media.