- 130
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description
- Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
- Head of a Bearded Old Man
- pen and brown ink and brown wash
Provenance
Given by the artist to the Library of the Somasco Convent, Santa Maria della Salute, Venice
Count Leopoldo Cicognara, Venice
Antonio Canova, the sculptor
thence by descent to his half-brother, Monsignor Giovanni Battista Sartori-Canova
Francesco Pesaro, Venice
Edward Cheney, by 1842
thence by inheritance to his brother-in-law, Col. Alfred Capel-Cure, his sale Sotheby's London, April 29, 1885, lot 1024, where acquired by E. Parsons (£11)
with E. Parsons and Sons, London
The Earl of Ranfurly
with P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London
Richard Owen, Paris
Count Leopoldo Cicognara, Venice
Antonio Canova, the sculptor
thence by descent to his half-brother, Monsignor Giovanni Battista Sartori-Canova
Francesco Pesaro, Venice
Edward Cheney, by 1842
thence by inheritance to his brother-in-law, Col. Alfred Capel-Cure, his sale Sotheby's London, April 29, 1885, lot 1024, where acquired by E. Parsons (£11)
with E. Parsons and Sons, London
The Earl of Ranfurly
with P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London
Richard Owen, Paris
Condition
The drawing is in generally good condition apart from some surface dirt and some creasing in the corners where stuck down to a thin sheet. There is also a tiny hole in the upper-edge center and some foxing on the support sheet.
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.
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 study of a bearded man in a turban is one of a series of ninety-three drawings of almost fantastical heads by Giambattista Tiepolo, which were photographed when they were together in the collection of Richard Owen (a set of those photographs is preserved in the library of the Fogg Museum, Harvard University). These heads were conceived by Giambattista as independent works rather than preparatory for specific paintings. The drawings were part of an album probably compiled by Tiepolo himself. When Giambattista left for Madrid in 1762, this, together with other albums of his drawings, were left for safekeeping with Tiepolo's son, Giovanni Maria, a priest at Santa Maria della Salute, Venice. George Knox dates this particular group circa 1760.1
1 G. Knox, Tiepolo, A Bicentenary Exhibition, 1770-1970, exhib. cat., Cambridge, Fogg Art Museum, 1970, under no. 93