Guido Reni

Jonathan Richardson Senr. (L.2184);
Thomas Hudson (L.2432);
with Hazlitt, Gooden and Fox, London (European Drawings: Recent Acquisitions, 1988, no. 22);
New York, et al., Kunsthandel Bellinger, Galerie de Bayser, Hazlitt, Gooden and Fox, European Master Drawings, 1994, no. 15

A. Sutherland Harris, 'Guido Reni's "First Thoughts"', in Master Drawings, 1999, no. 1, p. 20; p. 30, no. 30; p. 15, reproduced fig. 14

Unframed. Window mounted, not laid down. Generally in very good condition. A hole of circa 2.5cm at the upper right, although not affecting the drawing, repaired. Slight surface dirt along the upper and lower margins. Pen and ink and chalk very fresh. The drawing appears to have once been glued along the edges. The colours are much warmer and stronger than as they appear in the catalogue (which are rather lemony in tone).
"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.
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The biographer Carlo Cesare Malvasia wrote that Reni did not look after his drawings and left them in his studio, where anyone could take them.  Therefore, not many of his drawings have survived, unlike those of some of Reni's contemporaries such as Domenichino or Guercino.

Ann Sutherland Harris published this handsome and rare sheet in her article on Reni's 'primi pensieri', a fascinating group of drawings which are very revealing of the artist's creative process.  Mostly executed in pen and ink, as here, they are not easy to date.  Sutherland Harris suggests that the present drawing was made in the studio from a model on a raised platform and was to be used for a figure in the clouds in a ceiling fresco such as The Glory of St. Dominic (1613-15), in the eponymous church in Bologna.  The seated figure is studied in several poses as Reni searches for the best composition.  The figure to the right is finished to a higher degree, possibly indicating his preference for this solution.  Stylistically the present study is close to one of Dido and Aeneas, at Windsor, in which Reni added an abundant wash to his masterful use of the pen.¹

1. A. Sutherland Harris, op. cit., p. 15, fig. 15