'Maestro Artemio'

Antonio II Badile (1424-c.1507);
Lodovico Moscardo, 
by descent to his heirs, the Miniscalchi-Erizzo family;
Mario Miniscalchi-Erizzo (who sold the album around 1905-1907);
with Francis Matthiesen, London (who dismembered the album in the early 1950s), Old Master Drawings, 1963, no. 43, reproduced pl. XX;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 21 October 1963, lot 80 (as Bernardo Parentino);
Denys Sutton, London,
by inheritance to the present owner

R. Gobiet, Bernardinus da Parenzo, unpublished dissertation, University of Salzburg, 1974, vol. II, no. 97 (possibly Artemio);
J. Byam Shaw, The Italian Drawings of the Frits Lugt Collection, Paris 1983, vol. I, pp. 220-222, under no. 219 (as Bernardo Parentino?);
H.-J. Eberhardt, in T. Falk, Von Cranach bis Beckmann, 70 Jahre, 'Vereinigung der Freunde' Die schönsten Erwerbungen, Munich 1995, under no. 21;
E. Karet and P. Windows, 'The Antonio II Badile Album of drawings: a reconstruction of an early sixteenth century collection', Arte Lombarda, 145, 2005, p. 44, no. 18r, reproduced p. 42, fig. 41

Window mounted, on the verso a large water stain to the right, and a quite large stain in grey bodycolour which is partly coming through to the left of the figure. The paper appears quite soiled and stained. A tear at the lower right corner and small losses at both bottom corners. Small area at the top centre where there is thining of the paper. Sold in a modern wooden frame
"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."

This sheet comes from an album dated 1500, which contained at least sixty-one drawings, thought to be assembled by Antonio II Badile, inscribed on the original cover: DESEGNI. DE. VARIE.P[ERSONE]/.RACOLTI.PER.ANT^O[BADILE]/.II.PICTORE. D. LANN[O DEL SI] /GNORE].M^O.CCC-CCO., which is still preserved in the Lugt Collection, Fondation Custodia, Paris.¹ Karet and Windows (see Literature) have clearly explained that the album now in the Fondation Custodia, though retaining its original sixteenth or seventeenth century cover, is a modern replica of the Badile album.²   The replica contains black and white photographs of the drawings, including the present drawing, which were once pasted on the twenty-six leaves.  

Many of these sheets from the Moscardo/Badile album bear inscriptions identifying the name of the artist.  The majority of the drawings are by painters of the school of Padua, Verona or Venice, although the album also included other interesting sheets by Agostino da Lodi and Sodoma, and even by some early French and South German masters.  The drawings are now dispersed in  various public and private collections.³

At least nine of these, previously associated with Bernardo Parentino⁴, bear the same inscription found on the present drawing, indentifying the artist as 'Artemio'.   A number are studies of putti which seem to be inspired or influenced by antique bas-reliefs or stucco decorations.

1.  J. Byam Shaw, op. cit., p. 214.
2.  Frits Lugt received the album from Francis Matthiesen in 1963
3.  For a listing and cataloguing of the contents of the album, and their locations see E. Karet and P. Windows, op. cit., pp. 30 -52
4.  J. Byam Shaw, op. cit., p. 221