ANTONIO D'ENRICO, CALLED TANZIO DA VARALLO | Study of a Shepherd, a separate study of his right hand, and another study for a left hand

Gotthard Schuh (1897-1969), Zurich;
Sale, Zurich, Schuler Auktionen, 12 December 2008, lot 4444 (two in the lot)

F. Ferro, Testori a Novara, Milan 2009, pp. 145, 148, p. 149, note 3, reproduced p. 146;
S. Bareggi and F. Ferro, 'Antologia di Artisti, Alcuni disegni inediti di Tanzio da Varallo', Paragone, no. 112 (765), November 2013, pp. 32-41, reproduced pl. 23

There are some creases in the upper left section of the sheet. Small brown stain to the right of his drapery and some staining by the study of the hand, lower right. Surface dirt. Red chalk still remains 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 sheet and lot 4 below both originate from a group of drawings by the rare Lombard artist Tanzio da Varallo, which are now dispersed across various public institutions and private collections.  First published by Ferro in 2009, and studied again more recently in Paragone (see Literature), the drawings from this series can be identified by the old pen and ink numbering in the top left corner of each sheet.  They were originally pasted down on album pages, possibly by the artist himself, to create a working notebook, or else by an early collector.  The distinctive combination of media seen here - subtly applied red chalk heightened with white chalk, on paper washed pink - is typical of Tanzio and of his sophisticated and highly personal style, which was clearly influenced by the Florentine tradition brought to Milan by Leonardo.  Bareggi and Ferro have related the majority of the sheets from this series to Tanzio's late works.  In 2009, Ferro suggested that the present study might be connected with the figure of a shepherd who appears, in reverse to the drawing, in Tanzio's 1632 fresco decoration of the apse of Santa Maria della Pace, Milan (fig. 1).  We are grateful to Edoardo Testori for confirming that he considers this a late drawing by the artist, and related to this figure of a shepherd.  A red chalk preparatory study for the central figure group in the fresco is in a private collection.<sup>1

1.</sup> See Tanzio da Varallo, exhib. cat., Milan, Palazzo Reale, p. 148, reproduced p. 145