JACOPO CHIMENTI, CALLED JACOPO DA EMPOLI | Recto: Study of a young man wearing a cloak, his left hand on his hip and his right arm raisedVerso: Study of a man wearing a hat and holding a sword in his left hand, with two subsidiary studies of a boot, and a hand holding the top of a sword

The sheet has been cut along the left margin. There are a number of horizontal creases running across the sheet. There is a small stain in his coat , near the right margin. There are a number of small holes throughout the sheet,barely visible. There are some brown stains across the verso. The chalk 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. 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 interesting double sided sheet may relate to Empoli's painting, La Conquista di Bona (1613-14) in the Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, in Pisa.¹ There are a number of other preparatory studies that have been associated with this commission, some of which also depict figures dressed in cloaks with swords and also incorporate separate studies of hands holding swords.²   The young man represented on the recto of this sheet is not dissimilar to a study of a young man in a cloak, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille (inv. no. PL 615).³  The Lille drawing is of a man standing in much the same position as our study, with his hand on his hip and the other raised.  It has been suggested that the Lille study could be a first idea for the figure of Ammiraglio Inghirami, to the far right of Empoli's painting, La Conquista di Bona, whose stance is very comparable to both the Lille study and the present drawing. The application of chalk and the way in which the facial features have been drawn in the figure on the recto of the present sheet are characteristic of Empoli's drawings.  In particular the way the nose and mouth have been defined, the nose almost like a button and the mouth like a downturned crescent moon, can be seen in many of his drawings, in particular in the features of the Young boy with a Lute in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (Inv. 1948:357).<sup>4

1.</sup> A. Marabottini, Jacopo di Chimenti da Empoli, Rome 1998, pp. 233-4, no. 77, fig. 77
^2. Ibid., figs. 77a, 77b, 77c, 77e and 77f
^3. Ibid., fig. 77f
^4. Ibid., p. 154, tav. LXXXI