Lodovico Cardi, called Il Cigoli

Brussels, Musée Communal d'Ixelles, De Giorgione à Tiepolo: Dessins Italiens du 15e au 18e siècle dans les collections privées et publiques de Belgique, 1993, no. 50 (entry by Miles Chappell)

Framed. Window mounted and with plexi on reverse to expose verso. There are some areas of thinning and some minor small tears at the edges, all repaired neatly. There are small holes at the upper corners, another two small holes to the lower right, parallel with the figure's knees. Also a very tiny clean tear at the upper center. Apart from the latter, all are very neatly restored. On the verso, there is what remains of what appears to have been a slight brown mold, at the left edge, also three dark brown stains which are visible on the recto at the upper left, center, and very slightly at the lower left. Overall, however, the chalk is still quite strong, and the drawing does make a good impression. The drawing is stronger and the chalk less pink and slightly more orange than appears in the catalogue illustration.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Miles Chappell (see Exhibited) writes that although there is no precise connection for either of these studies, they must both have been executed in preparation for a specific project. He notes that the figure on the recto could be related to the right-hand angel seen from behind in Cigoli's 1590 painting of the Resurrection, commissioned by the Grand Duke of Tuscany and now in Palazzo Pitti, Florence.¹  That work, unfortunately very damaged, was rediscovered by Professor Chappell, who has also identified a number of studies that relate to it. Chappell also notes that the present sheet comes from the same collection as a group of six drawings by Cigoli that appeared on the London art market in 1985; all of these drawings bear the same pen and ink inscription, and seem to have been together in Florence in the eighteenth century.² One of the drawings in that group, a study of a man crouching (lot 192), may, Chappell suggests, also be related to the Resurrection mentioned above.

1. M. Chappell, Disegni di Ludovico Cigoli (1559-1613), exhibition catalogue, Florence, Uffizi, 1992, under no. 10, reproduced fig. 10c

2. Sold, London, Christie's, 11-13 December 1985, lots 192 to 197