Attributed to Ludovico Mazzanti

Paul Geneux;
sale, London, Christie's, 15 December 1992, lot 122 (as Neapolitan, mid-18th century)
with Flavia Ormond, London; acquired 1998

New York, Flavia Ormond at the Adelson Galleries, Italian Old Master Drawings, 1994, no. 14

Crease across the middle; laid down around the edges but back visible. Otherwise in fine condition.
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.

Very little is known about Mazzanti's drawings beyond what is clearly a student effort in the Accademia di San Luca in Rome.¹  The attribution proposed by Flavia Ormond is based, therefore, primarly on comparison with painted works.  Mazzanti was a pupil of Gaulli, by whom he was much influenced.  After a period in Rome, he worked in Naples from 1733-39 and then returned to the north.

St. Liborius, Bishop of Le Mans, is the patron saint of sufferers from gall and kidney stones, a complaint which seems to have been prevalent in eighteenth-century Rome.  Pope Clement XI, Albani, who suffered from both, established the Saint's feast day on 23 July.  The indication of the shape of the canvas, together with the pentimenti in the position of the Virgin's hand, show this to be a preliminary study for a painting, perhaps a commission from the Albani family.

In her catalogue entry, Mrs Ormond acknowledges the help of several scholars of eighteenth-century Roman painting, including Stella Rudolph, Dieter Graf, Edgar Peters Bowron and William Griswold.  Dr. Rudolph suggested this drawing could be dated around 1740, after Mazzanti's Neapolitan stay, but Mazzanti's friendship with Orazzio Albani, brother of the Pope, might indicate an earlier, Roman date.

1. See Prize Winning Drawings from the Roman Academy, exhibition catalogue, Rome, Accademia di San Luca, et al., 1989-90, nos. 21 and 23, reproduced.