GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIAZZETTA | A boy in a broad-brimmed hat, holding a flute

Sale, London, Christie's, 5 July 1988, lot 86;
Ian Woodner;
by descent to Dian and Andrea Woodner, 
sale, London, Christie's, Old Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, 2 July 1991, lot 124;
Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 27 January 2010, lot 91, where purchased by the present owner

Hinged in six places. The paper has faded to a grey colour. There are a number of repaired losses at the top margin, to the right and a few smaller ones at the bottom margin. Coming through from the verso there are traces of staining in several places. Foxing is scattered all over the sheet. Some rubbing of the black chalk; white chalk in good condition. The image is still very readable, and the impact of the image is still strong. Sold in a wooden gilded imitation of a Bolognese 17th century style 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."

This carefully modeled study belongs to the series known as 'Teste di carattere'. These large sheets are the most well known and famous of Piazzetta's drawings, executed as independent works of art.  Often, Piazzetta's drawings of this type portray members of his own family, in particular his wife and children.  They reveal a lyrical and poetic aspect of the artist's work in portraying mostly beautiful heads of young people, in groups or individually, as in the present sheet.  Here the vigorous and subtle handling of the black chalk with stumping creates an atmospheric play of chiaroscuro, highlighted in places by the use of white chalk.  The elegance of the present drawing is modulated by its intrinsic pictorial effects.   Piazzetta made a good number of these head studies over many years, and they must have provided him with a regular source of income.  They achieved great popularity with collectors and connoisseurs in his own time, and have remained equally appreciated ever since.  The artist also produced versions of his own drawings to fulfill the demand for such finished works on paper.  Some, either single figures such as the present example, or groups of two or three, were also engraved by Marco Pitteri and Giovanni Cattini, who in 1743 published fourteen such prints under the title: 'Icones ad vivum expressae'.  No print related to the present sheet is known.  

The attribution to Piazzetta was confirmed by Professor George Knox at the time of the Woodner sale (see Provenance).