Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino

Casa Gennari;
Possibly Francesco Forni;
John Bouverie (L.325),
by inheritance to his sister Anne Bouverie and his brother-in-law John Hervey,
by descent to his son Christopher Hervey, at his death in 1786,
by inheritance to his aunt Elizabeth Bouverie;
by bequest to Sir Charles Middleton, later 1st Baron Barham,
Sir Gerard Noel, father of the first Earl of Gainsborough,
by descent to Charles Noel, 3rd Earl of Gainsborough,
probably sale, London, Christie's, 20th July 1859;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 23 March 1978, lot 160,
purchased by a European private collector,
by inheritance to the present owner

Bologna, Museo Civico Archeologico, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, Il Guercino, 1591-1666, I Disegni (catalogue by Sir Denis Mahon), 1992, p. 293, no. 188, reproduced

Laid down on paper which has in turn been hinged to a modern mount. There is some very slight discoloration to areas of the sheet and some light foxing in places. Otherwise this work remains in very good condition, with the red chalk medium fresh and vibrant throughout. Sold in a modern giltwood 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.

This drawing of a bearded man holding a staff is a very fine example of Guercino’s distinctive and masterful handling of the red chalk medium.  Though stylistically comparable to drawings datable to the second half of the 1630s, Sir Dennis Mahon noted that the sensitive fashion in which the red chalk is used in this work marks it out as somewhat unusual in this period of the artist’s career, though the handling of the medium and the subject of the drawing are both very comparable with what one would expect to see in Guercino’s pen and ink drawings of the period, in which touches of wash would also be used to emphasize areas of light and shade.¹

A typical example of one of these pen and wash drawings is the Cato at Utica saying farewell to his son, in the Royal Collection, Windsor Castle.²  This work can be reliably dated to circa 1635, when a painting of the same subject was ordered by Louis Phélypeaux de la Vrillière and the drawing itself can be closely compared, on stylistic grounds, to our Seated Man holding a staff.

Unlike the aforementioned Windsor sheet, the present work cannot be securely connected to any known surviving project or commission.  What it demonstrates, however, is the innate ability that Guercino possessed to imbue his drawings with immense personality and sensitivity, with the sitter’s somewhat ragged appearance, weather-beaten face and downward gaze imparting a subtle sense of pathos.

^1. Exhib. cat., op. cit., 1992, p. 293, no. 188

^2. D. Mahon and N. Turner,The Drawings of Guercino in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle, Cambridge 1989, pp. 51-52, no. 87, reproduced fig. 91