Ambrogio Figino

G. Vallardi (L.1223)

The sheet is in good condition apart from some folds. The color is unfaded, and the chalk is fresh. In a modern gold-colored 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.
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The studies on this sheet are after the famous antique sculpture, the Laocoön, and record the heads of the two sons and of Laocoön himself, in profile. It is not known exactly when Figino went to Rome, but it appears to have been before 1577.  Other studies after the antique, and also after the works of Michelangelo and Raphael, have survived, as testimony to the interests and serious training of the young artist in Rome. Figino made several drawings after the Laocoön: the most  complete, in which he studied almost the entire sculpture, are at Windsor Castle.¹  Others, closer to the present drawing in that they are also separate studies of the heads, are in the album of drawings by Figino in the Gallerie dell' Accademia, Venice.² 

1. A.P. Tonini, Disegni del Figino, exhibition catalogue, Venice, Gallerie dell' Accademia, 1987, p. 187, reproduced figs. 65-67

2. Tonni, op. cit., nos. 63, 64 and 66, reproduced