- 99
Paolo de Matteis
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description
- Paolo de Matteis
- Design for a ceiling decoration with Aurora driving a chariot drawn by dragons
- Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk, octagonal
Condition
Overall fresh and in quite good condition. A few tiny holes towards the margins where the drawing must have been pinned, two at the left, one to the right and two at the bottom edge. A rubbed fold at the top right corner. Some creases in the paper. The sheet is slightly trimmed at the top.
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 drawing is typical of the graphic style of Paolo de Matteis just before the turn of the century. Until that time his work had been strongly influenced by Luca Giordano, of whom he was the most talented pupil. Indeed, it is not at all unusual for de Matteis's paintings to be confused with the work of Giordano, and some attributions are still debated. In the present sheet, surely preparatory for a ceiling decoration by de Matteis, there is a clear debt to the graphic style of his master. The composition anticipates that of de Matteis's painting of a very similar subject now at Pommersfelden, although there it is Apollo and not Aurora who drives the chariot. That work is believed to have been executed as a ceiling decoration, for an unidentified location, datable around 1710, after de Matteis's return from Paris in 1705.1
This lot is stylistically comparable to the handsome drawing in the Louvre, Magdalene in glory with angels, which Rossana Muzii, on stylistic grounds, suggests dating to around 1699.2
1. N. Spinosa, Pittura napoletana del Settecento, Naples 1986, vol. I, p. 132, no. 122, reproduced p. 255, fig. 142
2. Paris, Louvre, inv. no. 9707; Ritorno al Barocco, exhib. cat., Naples, Capodimonte, 2009, vol. II, p. 105, no. 3.70, reproduced
This lot is stylistically comparable to the handsome drawing in the Louvre, Magdalene in glory with angels, which Rossana Muzii, on stylistic grounds, suggests dating to around 1699.2
1. N. Spinosa, Pittura napoletana del Settecento, Naples 1986, vol. I, p. 132, no. 122, reproduced p. 255, fig. 142
2. Paris, Louvre, inv. no. 9707; Ritorno al Barocco, exhib. cat., Naples, Capodimonte, 2009, vol. II, p. 105, no. 3.70, reproduced