Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, called Il Grechetto

This quickly sketched brush drawing must date towards the last period of Castiglione's activity, around the late 1650s. The broad, sweeping treatment of the draperies, the summary abbreviation of features and the combination of fluid strokes with others of dry paint are consistent with Castiglione's mature style. The strong contrast in the chiaroscuro and the controluce effect, creating dramatic lighting, is also characteristic of his late period in the 1660s. 

The present study does not seem to connect with any known works but it is a typical example of the high emotional intensity found in Castiglione's mature paintings.  Here his artistic language shows the same impressive experimentation in approach that we see in his fascinating monotypes¹, with daring contrasts and a subtle range of light effects producing some of the most striking and original images of the seventeenth century.

For a fine pen and ink drawing by the artist, see lot 226.

^1. Although the Flemish artist Anthonis Sallaert did experiment with monotypes at around the same time, Castiglione seems to have been the first artist to use this technique with conspicuous success. See T.J. Standring and M. Clayton, Castiglione. Lost Genius, exhib. cat., London, The Queen's Gallery, 2013, pp. 78-79