CIRCLE OF ANTONIO ALLEGRI, CALLED CORREGGIO | Study of the head of a woman, looking down

Jonathan Richardson, Senr. (L.2184);
Thomas Hudson (L.2432);
Prince William of Orange, later King William II of the Netherlands (1792-1849),
sale of his estate, The Hague, de Vries/Roos/Brondgeest, 12-20 August 1850, possibly lot 196 (Corregio:'Tête de Madonne, Dessin à la sanguine'; f.34, to Bayley, presumably bought back for the family),
by inheritance to the present owner  

Laid down on Richardson mount. Lower right corner of sheet is missing. Staining around the edges of the sheet and surface dirt. red chalk still relatively strong. Copy: Laid down - same dimensions - 120 by 91 mm. Light stains at four corners where sheet has been laid down. Few tiny brown stains located at the lower half of the sheet. Chalk still relatively strong.
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 elegant and finely drawn head of a young woman is very close to Correggio's head of Danae in his painting of the same subject in the Borghese Gallery, Rome (Fig. 1).¹  The inclination of the head and the way in which the figure's hair falls is highly reminiscent of Danae's pose in Correggio's painting, and the drawing may be a copy after another, lost drawing relating to the Borghese painting.  Sold together with another, apparently 18th-century, version of the same head, bearing the collector's mark of Sir Thomas Lawrence (L.2445), very possibly a copy after the drawing from the Richardson collection, with which it is offered here. 

^1. Correggio, exhib. cat., Parma, Galleria Nazionale, 2008-2009, p. 298, no. III.32, reproduced