- 534
Giovanni Battista Castello, called Il Bergamasco
Description
- Giovanni Battista Castello, called Il Bergamasco
- the martyrdom of st. sebastian
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk, pricked for transfer
Provenance
Literature
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.
Catalogue Note
This is the preparatory study for Castello's large altarpiece, commissioned in 1561 by Taddeo Spinola for the church of S. Sebastiano, Genoa. The work, in situ by 1562, was executed on canvas, which may have influenced Cambiaso who, as Magnani points out (op. cit.), was still working on panel. The present study can be closely compared with Cambiaso's drawing of the same subject and of about the same date, formerly in the Suida Manning collection and now in the Blanton Museum of Art, Texas.1 Castello's altarpiece, almost five meters high, is now in the convent of the Monache Agostiniane di Santa Chiara e San Sebastiano, Genoa.
1. See J. Bober, I grandi disegni italiani del Blanton Museum of Art dell'Università del Texas, Milan 2001, no. 11, reproduced