Lot 38
  • 38

Circle of Domenico Beccafumi

Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description

  • Domenico Beccafumi
  • Recto: Head of a bearded man;verso: Study for a standing Saint
  • Red and black chalk heightened with white (recto); black chalk reinforced with pen and brown ink (verso)

Provenance

Sale, London, Sotheby's, 3 July 1989, lot 167

Condition

The surface of the recto and verso is somewhat abraded. Some traces of the pen and ink on the verso come through to the recto. A tiny hole towards the top left margin, some staining and surface dirt on the recto . On the verso on the margin and centre staining from previous glue. In few places some thinning of the paper. Paper slightly buckled all over. Sold mounted and in a modern wooden 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. 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."

Catalogue Note

The old mount, now removed, bore two old attributions to Barocci, a suggestion with which Konrad Oberhuber concurred1, and which Edmund Pillsbury was also inclined to give serious consideration.  Both these scholars felt this could be an early work by the artist, and Pillsbury wrote in a letter to the current owner that the head type on the recto 'was not dissimilar from that of certain figures occupying the background of the early Martyrdom of St. Sebastian altarpiece', in the Cathedral in Urbino.  Pillsbury also felt that the study on the verso was more consistent with the style of the young Barocci than with that of Beccafumi.2 

1 Letter to the owner dated 1st July 1991
2 Letter to the owner dated 19th July 1991