Biagio Pupini

Mr and Mrs Hugh Squire, given by them as a wedding present to Timothy and Jane Clifford, 1968 (bears his collector's mark not in Lugt),
his sale, The Clifford Collection, London, Sotheby's, 3 July 1989, lot 11, where bought by the present owner

Kendal, Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Italian Drawings c.1480-1640, 1981, no. 43

M. Kitson, 'Claude Lorrain as a Figure Draughtsman', in Drawing: Masters and Methods, Raphael to Redon, D. Dethloff ed., London 1992, pp. 84-85, fig. 35

Unframed. Laid down on an oldish piece of paper, made up across the upper 1cm of the drawing, as may be seen in the catalogue illustration. The preparation is of a more orange-red shade than the illustration so the figure appears more vividly drawn with the ink a darker tonality. The white heightening is in part slightly oxidised, especially in the upper part of the drawing. Near the figure's uppermost hand, one small light brown ink stain, and another on the other side of the left arm, although not prominent. Some tiny losses at the lower left margin and a crease or tear in the upper left, but none of this is particularly visible. Another very small tear and a tiny loss near the lower part of the right margin. All this can be seen in the illustration. Generally in very good condition.
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The attribution to Pupini was first suggested to Mr and Mrs Squire by Philip Pouncey and this charming drawing is typical of the artist's technique - he was a master of the use of wash and white heightening.  His interest in works of classical antiquity is reflected in the subject of Minerva and her dress and pose.  She stands on a small plinth, which suggests that it might have been inspired by a small bronze, but no exact parallel can be identified.

Pupini is an artist who moved between Italian cities and absorbed influences from many artists.  Although he worked mainly in Bologna, where his early training was with Francia, he also collaborated with Bagnacavallo, with Ferrarese artists and with Girolamo da Carpi.  He was influenced by Raphael early in his career, and subsequently by Parmigianino and Polidoro.  In spite of this range of influences, his graphic style is very recognisable and characterised by the use not only of white heightening but also of coloured backgrounds.  As Diane DeGrazia wrote '...a catalogue raisonné on his drawings would yield much information on the interconnections between Rome, Bologna, and Ferrara in the first half of the sixteenth century'.¹

Michael Kitson (loc. cit.) used this drawing as an example of the influence of earlier Italian artists on Claude, noting the similarity of medium as well as of figure type and character.

1. D. DeGrazia, Correggio and His Legacy, exhib. cat., Washington, National Gallery of Art, et. al., 1984, p. 308.