Domenico Maria Fratta

Unframed. About an inch of each edge of the paper has been folded back so the sheet appears slightly smaller than it actually is. There is a horizontal fold across the centre of the sheet which has some surface dirt, and a small horizontal tear just above it on the right edge. There are some isolated spots of yellow discolouration in the upper left corner, the lower right. There are two small ink stains on the right margin and another in the lower centre. Two other paler stains in the upper left quarter. Generally, however, the sheet is in good condition, the ink still strong and the paper relatively fresh.
"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."

This sheet was made by Fratta in preparation for an engraving commissioned as part of a series of allegorical 'memorials' entitled Tombeaux des Princes, des Grands Capitaines et autres Hommes illustres qui ont fleuri dans la Grand Bretagne vers la fin du XVII et le commencement du XVIII siècle.  The project was devised in the 1720s by the Irish impresario Owen McSwiny, who commissioned several Venetian and Bolognese artists to create grand allegorical paintings, celebrating outstanding British personalities of the period.  The compositions were then to be engraved, after Fratta's drawn copies of the paintings.  However, the project was never completed and of the twenty-four allegories McSwiny had intended, only eight were published, in Paris in 1736 and London in 1741.

The present composition was adapted from the painting by Francesco Ferdinandi, called Imperiale, and Giuseppe Valeriani, but never engraved.  However, a much more finished version of the drawing signed by Fratta and dated 1732 is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., which must have been the intended model for the print.¹  For further information on the project, see A. van Houtven, 'Two Drawings by Domenico Maria Fratta for McSwiny's ''Tombeaux des Princes''', in Master Drawings, vol. XXXVII, 1999, no.1, pp. 47-54.

1.  See A. van Houtven, op. cit., p. 50, fig. 3