喬瓦尼·巴蒂斯塔·貝納斯奇

Sale: Sotheby's New York, January 13, 1988, lot 6
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Laid down. A small strip of paper added at the bottom (to make the lower edge more regular. Light horizontal wrinkles, from the paper-making process, across the centre. Small repaired tears at edges, Some very light water staining, especially in centre, and other minor stains, notably down right edge. Chalk and image both very good and strong. Sold in a golded wooden 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.

Surely drawn from life, this characterful study of a seated nude seen in profile is distinguished by alternating vigorous and soft diagonal strokes in chalk, sometimes reinforced over the contour lines, which create dramatic contrasts of light and shadow.  The drawing was once part of an album of drawings by Beinaschi that remained intact until shortly before the 1988 sale, and the technique and media are typical of the artist’s large sheets of this type.  For other, closely comparable drawings by the artist, once part of the same album, see: Ritorno al barocco, da caravaggio a vanvitelli, exhibition catalogue, Naples, Museo di Capodimonte, vol. II, pp. 98-99, nos. 3.61, 3.63, reproduced. 

The Neapolitan biographer Bernardo De Dominici stressed the debt of Beinaschi to the graphic style of Giovanni Lanfranco, whom he believed to have been his master, writing: ‘Nel disegno fu assai fondato, ei suoi disegni somigliano molto quelli del suo egregio maestro, dico il Cavalier Giovanni Lanfranco, avendo le le stesse fisionomie, e arie di teste di quello..’ (‘He was talented in drawings, and his sheets resemble the work of his master…..having the same physiognomy and the same type of heads’) (F. Sricchia Santoro and A. Zezza, Bernardo De Dominici, Vite de’Pittori, Scultori ed Architetti Napoletani, Naples 2008, vol. III, part 1, p. 525).  In fact, it seems that Beinaschi actually assimilated Lanfranco’s style while working in Rome after the latter’s death.