GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI | Study of a standing man, in profile

Henri Mayeux;
Étienne Dreyer;
J.M. Lannegrand d'Augimont (bears his collector's mark, not in Lugt);
sale, Paris, Tajan, 3 May 2012, lot 18;
with Galerie Terrades, Paris,
where acquired by the present owner

Paris, Musée de l'Orangerie, Venise au dix-huitième siècle: peintures, dessins et gravures des collections françaises, 1971, no. 152, p. 119, reproduced

Hinged at the top. Slight soiling on the left lower corner where the collector's mark is and pen and ink writing coming through slightly from the verso to the recto. Very slight surface dirt at the left top corner and to the bottom right. Overall media strong and in good condition. Sold in modern and gilded 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. 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."

As is often the case with Piranesi’s energetic pen and ink figure studies, it is likely that the present work was drawn from life and, as can clearly be seen, executed in the artist's characteristic, highly energetic style, with a thick pen and strong, broad lines. We are grateful to Andrew Robison who dates this drawing to the mid-1760s, relating it closely to two further pen drawings of standing gentlemen, similarly dressed, the first of which appeared on the London art market in 1985¹ and the second of which is today in a private collection, Montreal.²

Robison also notes that the formal calligraphic address on the verso of the present work could well have been written by Piranesi himself.

^1. Sale, London, Christie's, 12 December 1985, lot 318
^2. see From the Hands of the Masters: A Private Collection, exhib. cat., Montreal, Museum of Fine Arts, 2013, p. 81, no. 62, reproduced