Old Master Drawings

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Lot 46
  • 46

Francesco Allegrini

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Francesco Allegrini
  • two oval battle scenes, one with ships in the background
  • Each gouache on paper laid down on copper; one bears an indistinct pen and ink attribution on the copper: Alleglino?, the other a numbering: 2. One has a pen and ink inventory number pasted on a label on the backing: G. M. 419

Condition

Both oils on paper are in very similar condition: there is flaking of the pigments a bit overall on the surface but particularly in the sky of one. Overall colors are very strong and condition reasonable, the flaking is not so visible, unless looking under magnification. Sold in nice wooden and gilded frames possibly 19th Century.
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

Very typical of Francesco Allegrini, these two battles must have been executed for a private collector and very much represent the taste of Roman patrons in the middle of the seventeenth century. Allegrini is believed to have been a pupil of Cavalier d'Arpino, whose influence can be clearly detected in these two oils on paper. Like Arpino, Allegrini was responsible for the fresco decorations of many Roman palaces, commissions he received from leading families such as the Mattei, Aldobrandini, Colonna and Altieri. Oil on paper works on this scale by the artist are very rare, while his pen and ink drawings, characterized by rapid and sketchy penwork, are in public and private collections. The National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh  and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, both have good groups of Francesco Allegrini's drawings.1

1. K. Andrews, Catalogue of Italian Drawings, Cambridge 1968, vol. I,  pp. 3-8, D. 915 to D.1877, reproduced vol. II, figs. 12 to 84; J. Bean, 17th Century Italian Drawings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1979, pp. 16-33, nos. 2-53, reproduced