Baldassare Franceschini, called Il Volterrano

Sale, London, Sotheby's, Drawings by Baldassare Franceschini, 3 July 1980, lot 41b (catalogue by Charles McCorquodale);
sale, London, Christie's, 13 December 1984, lot 213 (2), purchased by Ralph Holland

Creases around the edges, some mild darkening of the paper at the bottom edge, probably from old mounting. Many losses where black ink has eaten the paper, some repaired with thin paper.
"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."

See note to lot XXXX. 

These are further studies for the decorative finial planned as an addition to Michelozzo's famous tabernacle which enshrined a miraculous image of the Annunciation, in the Florentine church of the SS. Annunziata.  In his note in the Sotheby's catalogue, McCorquodale wrote about the recto: 'This appears to show an earlier stage in Volterrano's preparations for the finial, using more dynamic, Baroque sculptural forms with no figurative additions.'  A very similar project to that on the verso is in the Kunstbibliothek, Berlin.¹

1.  S. Jacob, Italienische Zeichnungen der Kunstbibliothek Berlin, Berlin 1975, p. 126, fig. 554v