L12040

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Lot 18
  • 18

Giovanni Baglione

Estimate
12,000 - 15,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Giovanni Baglione
  • the stoning of st. stephen
  • Point of the brush and brown wash over traces of black chalk;
    bears old attribution in pen and brown ink, lower right: Annibal Carracci and also bears indistinct collector's name, lower left, possibly the same name as on the back of the mount [sanj....]; bears later numbering in pencil, upper left: 37

Provenance

Marquis de Sanj....(indistinct collector's name and inventory numbers No159 and 84 on back of mount)

Condition

Laid down on an early mount, possibly 18th century. The upper right hand corner is missing and there are several tears located along the outer margins of the sheet. The sheet has buckled slightly. There is a brown stain located on the leg of the man in the foreground and there are a number of other smaller brown stains, mainly visible in the upper section of the sheet. There are a few small dots of black gouache type substance, located lower right. There is some surface dirt. Overall the medium remains strong and fresh and the overall image is vibrant. Sold in a simple gilded frame.
"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."

Catalogue Note

This drawing is very characteristic of Baglione's style.  The directness of the sketch and the bold rapid brush strokes to depict figures lie at the core of many of his preliminary studies, although this drawing cannot be linked to a known painting.  What perhaps makes this stand apart from the artist's other studies is the use of the point of the brush alone to create form.  The great majority of his known drawings use pen to create outlines but here the point of the brush has created a softer, and more fluid line, differing from the more staccato nature of those drawn with the pen.

The present work can be compared with Baglione's double-sided preparatory study, in the British Museum, for an altarpiece depicting The Resurrection, commissioned for the Gesù and now lost.1  In that drawing the way Baglione works out the positions of the foreground figures and his approach to form is very similar to that seen here; whilst the present drawing is more of a rapid sketch, the handling of the foreground male figure seen from behind can be directly compared with the figure to the left of The Resurrection.

1. Inv no. Ff 4-28; J.A. Gere and P. Pouncey, Italian Drawings...in the British Museum, Artists Working in Rome, London 1983, p. 36, no. 38, pls. 32, 33