Lot 2
  • 2

Lombard School circa 1500

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
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Description

  • the head of a bald man
  • bears illegible, partly erased period inscription in pencil, upper right 
  • metalpoint, heightened with white, partly over stylus, on prepared paper

Provenance

W. Mayor (L.2799);
sale, London, Sotheby's, 4 July 1988, lot 35 (as Follower of Leonardo da Vinci)

Literature

W. Mayor, A Brief Chronological Description of Original Drawings and Sketches by the most celebrated masters,....,London 1871, p. 3, no. 10 (as Leonardo da Vinci)

Condition

Laid down. There are some very small losses at the centre of the lower edge, all very neatly made up. Two other very tiny holes, one to the right of the man's right ear, the other on his forehead, above his right eye, both neatly made up. There are what appear to be slight areas of disruption to the preparation: near the lower left corner, across the man's left ear, and across the centre of his chest, although these are barely visible. Overall, however, the condition is good, and the medium is still very 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."

Catalogue Note

This interesting early study of the head of a man does not appear to be directly related to a known drawing by Leonardo, although there is a certain similarity to a red chalk study in the Louvre of an older, more expressive head.1  Drawn with silverpoint, the hatching is mostly left-handed.  Leonardo's caricatures and physiognomies circulated almost immediately after they were executed and were widely copied from the early sixteenth century on, creating a fashion for such studies with all of Leonardo's followers, and exerting a strong influence on later generations.


1. Inv. no. 2249; Françoise Viatte and Varena Forcione, Léonard de Vinci, exhibition catalogue, Paris, Louvre, 2003, p. 179, no. 57, reproduced p. 182