Annibale Carracci

Pierre-Jean Mariette (L.2097) and part of his mount cut at the bottom,
his sale, Paris, F. Basan, Catalogue raisonné des différens objects de curiosités dans les sciences et arts, qui composoient le Cabinet de feu M^r Mariette..., Paris 1775, one of two in lot 309;
with W.R. Jeudwine, London, exhibition, 1964, no. 16, reproduced pl. V, bought by Philip Hofer for £580 (his pencil inscription with information on the drawing on the modern mount),
given by him to Frances Hofer, her book plate on the modern mount

Laid down on the Mariette mount cut at the bottom . The mount must have included originally two drawings. Overall in good condition some grey light staining at the bottom center and on the lower branches of the tree to the left and to the right towards the margin. Tiny staining scattered on the sky. Ink still fresh. What is left of the Mariette mount is also in good condition
"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 drawing, bearing an eighteenth century pen and ink attribution to Annibale Carracci, was once in the celebrated collection of Pierre-Jean Mariette.  The composition must have been extremely popular with Annibale's contemporaries  as we know at least four weaker 17th Century versions with some variations, most frequently the inclusion of a figure seated in the foreground, centre right.  One of these is now in the Albertina as 'Attributed to the School of Carracci'.  It was formerly in the collection of Jabach and like the present sheet in the collection of Mariette and surely part of the same lot in his sale.¹  The Albertina drawing was etched, in reverse and expanded, by J.B. Corneille as after 'An. Carache', for the Recueil de 283 Estampes de Jabach, as is also mentioned in the Mariette catalogue: 'Deux beaux Paysages en travers aussi à la / plume: l'un des deux est gravé par Corneille dans la suite de Jaback.'   The other three drawings that derive from this are: in the Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth (as Follower of Annibale), in the National Gallery of Scotland (as Circle of Annibale Carracci), and in the Royal Collection, Windsor Castle (as Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi).²

A similar castle can be found in the background of Domenichino's Landscape with figures crossing a River, an early painting of 1604-1605, in the Galleria Doria Pamphili, Rome.³ 

1.  Albertina, inv. no. 2099, V. Birke and J. Kertész, Die Italienischen Zeichnungen der Albertina, Passau 1994, vol. II, pp. 1102-1103, reproduced 
2.  Respectively: Chatsworth inv. no. 468, M. Jaffé, The Devonshire Collection of Italian Drawings, Bolognese and Emilian Schools, London 1994, p. 102, no. 510, reproduced; National Gallery of Scotland, inv. no.886, K. Andrews, Catalogue of Italian Drawings, Cambridge 1968, vol. I, p. 33, D.886, reproduced vol. II, p. 45, fig. 255 (as Circle of Annibale);  Windsor Castle, inv. no. 1507, O. Kurz, Bolognese Drawings of the XVII and XVIII Centuries ...at Windsor Castle, London 1955, p.111, no. 288, not reproduced
3.  R. Spear, Domenichino, London 1982, vol. I, pp.138-9, no. 16, reproduced vol. II, fig. 30