Aurelio Luini

Jonathan Richardson Senr. (L.2184, dry; L.2995), his attribution on the mount: Polidoro and his shelf marks, verso: L.75 / LL.56;
Dr and Mrs Francis Springell,
their sale, London, Sotheby's, 30 June 1986, lot 146, where bought by the present owner

Unframed. Laid down on the Richardson mount. A vertical tear running from the upper margin, from the left of the upper left head, almost to the bottom of the sheet. The paper appears to have been torn in a U-shape section at the upper part of the sheet. The left-hand section of the lower margin has been made up. Scattered surface dirt. A certain amount of staining along the left edge, which is more noticeable in the catalogue illustration than the drawing itself.
"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 engaging drawing is entirely characteristic of Aurelio Luini's graphic style.  Luini would often fill his whole sheet with studies, generally unrelated, organising the page in an elegant and pleasing mise en page.  In the present example, the four studies of a bearded man alternate with two studies of hands (with the pronounced articulation of the knuckles which is a distinctive characteristic of Luini), a crucifix and two saints, and a drapery study.  Executed with a fine use of the pen in a small space, these sheets were admired by the painter and writer Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo in his Trattato dell'arte della pittura, scoltura et architettura, published in Milan in 1584.  Lomazzo writes: ' ...in poco spazio, gran quantità di figure per forza di quell'arte, con la quale egli par esser nato, oltre la notomia, che egli fondamentalmente possiede'.¹  Luini had a successful career over the course of forty years in Lombardy, working in and around Milan.  Drawings such the present work could also originally have been sheets from sketchbooks; they are rarely connected to surviving paintings.  A comparable sheet of studies is in Dresden.²

1. R. Ciardi, Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo, scritti sulle arti, Milan 1973-4, vol. I, p. 369
2. Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen; see E. Panofsky, The Codex Huygens and Leonardo da Vinci's Art Theory, London 1940, fig. 76