L12040

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Lot 5
  • 5

Antonio Campi

Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
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Description

  • Antonio Campi
  • Recto: various figure studies Verso: study for an elaborate base, possibly for a bronze

  • Black chalk with light brown wash, heightened with slightly oxidised white (recto), black chalk (verso); on blue paper;
    bears two sets of numbers, verso, one in pen and brown ink: 13 and one in red chalk:  no514 (possibly Vallardi)

Provenance

Sir Thomas Lawrence (L.2445)

Condition

The areas where the brown wash has been applied have changed in colour due to a chemical change in the iron gal ink, this in turn has affected the colour of the white heightening turning it into a slightly pinkish colour and has also affected the blue paper. The brown has seeped through to the verso, where it is visible. The black chalk however reamins stong, especially in the foreground figures. Sold in a wooden frame with gilded decoration.
"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

The present drawing, although a puzzle in terms of subject matter, is very interesting and can be compared stylistically with a set of eight woodcuts by Antonio Campi.1  Those prints, some of which are signed and dated, reveal a young Antonio, working in the 1550s, who is evidently influenced by Parmigianino, but ultimately through Camillo Boccaccino's interpretation of the Parmigianesque style.  The figures in the present drawing and those in the woodcuts share the same elongated form and also the same lines and twists in the drapery.  Campi's preparatory drawing for the woodcut of the Judgement of Solomon is also stylistically close to this drawing.2

1. M. Gregori and G. Bora, I Campi: Cultura artistica Cremonese del cinquecento, Milan 1985, pp. 320-323

2. G. Bora, Disegni di Manieristi Lombardi, Vicenza 1971, nos. 33 and 33a