Giovanni Battista Gaulli, called Il Baciccio

Unframed. Laid down on modern card. There is a Y-shaped tear in the paper near the lower right corner and three tiny vertical tears at the centre of the lower edge, all of which have been stabilised by the paper being laid down. The ink is slightly sunk in parts, but overall the condition is very good.
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.

This figure was used by Gaulli in a design for a lunette depicting the Risen Christ with the Virgin, Saint John the Baptist and other saints, today known only through a bozzetto in a private collection (fig. 1).¹  Whilst the figure in the lunette to which this drawing relates is the Madonna, the dress of the woman in the present sheet suggests that perhaps she was originally conceived of as a saint, rather than the Virgin.  Alternatively, Gaulli may have drawn the figure with another project in mind, and then re-used it for the bozzetto at a later date.

1. Sold London, Christie's, 7 July 1978, lot 108; see F. Petrucci, Baciccio, Giovan Battista Gaulli (1639-1709), Rome 2009, p. 515, cat. no. B39