Jacopo Zucchi

Bears unidentified collector's mark (L.2059);
sale, London, Christie's, 10 December 1991, lot 122, purchased by the present owner

Laid down. Two losses at the bottom of the sheet, some thinning of the paper and tears near the right margin just below the middle of the sheet. Some thinning of the paper also at the top and a trace of a fold at the top left. Some stains at the top left corner and at the bottom. Pen and ink and chalk fresh. Sold in a modern 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."

At the time of the London sale in 1991, the attribution of this handsome sheet to Jacopo Zucchi was confirmed by Dr. Edmund Pillsbury, who had been the first to publish a defining group of drawings by the artist.¹  In the article he noted that Zucchi's early style is clearly indebted to Vasari while the later work from the late 1560s and after becomes 'more fluid ...' and more freely drawn and with a 'greater freedom and abstraction' in the washes.  He also stressed: 'As former attributions attest, Zucchi's drawing style takes as its point of departure the works of Salviati (1510-1563), Stradano (1523-1605) and Taddeo Zuccaro (1529-1566)...'.  The present drawing appears quite close to the style of Stradanus and, although also reminiscent of Vasari, could be a mature work of the 1560s when Zucchi, returning from Pisa to Florence in 1563, joined Naldini, Stradanus and other artists of Vasari's équipe in the decoration of the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio.  It does not seem to be connected to any of the artist's known works. 

1. E. Pillsbury, 'Drawings by Jacopo Zucchi', Master Drawings, vol. XII, no. 1 (1974), pp. 3-33, pls. 1-24