Annibale Carracci

Sir Peter Lely (L.2093, slightly erased on the lower left corner);
Sir George Clausen (L.539),
his sale, London, Sotheby's, 2 June  1943, lot 49;
Carl Winter;
Mrs. Don Forrest;
by whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 5 December 1977, lot 8 

Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, 17^th Century Italian Drawings, 1959, no. 63;
Edinburgh, The Merchant's Hall, Italian 17^th Century Drawings from British Private Collections, 1972, no. 25, reproduced p. 50

Laid down. Overall in good condition and ink and wash fresh. Some slight staining along the top margin to the left and to the corner to the right. Similar light staining also towards the lower right corner and to the left, slight surface dirt. Tiny loss lower margin, almost not visible, The drawing is mounted and framed in a 20th century gilded frame, of some age.
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.

The attribution to Annibale was first proposed by J. Byam Shaw in 1959.¹  Two other drawings by Annibale of St. Catherine are known, both at Windsor Castle.²  They seem to be late works, quickly drawn in pen and ink.  At the top of one of these sheets (Wittkower 433), Annibale has drawn a separate study of a wheel, St. Catherine's attribute, while in both she appears kneeling in the foreground wearing a crown.  Both include in the background a quickly sketched, lightly clothed nude in alternative solutions for the Saint's pose.  In Wittkower 433 the pose of the standing female nude, although reversed, is very close to that of the present figure.  

Our study is instead a finished drawing which suggests the entire composition for an altarpiece or a painting for private devotion.  The Saint is standing on a paved floor, while in the background Annibale has sketched a landscape and to the right a scene of martyrdom.  The drawing is squared and the composition upright.  No painting by Annibale of this subject has survived, although in the 1627 inventory of the collection of Cardinal del Monte one is referred to, but without a detailed enough description to permit identification.

1.  See pen and ink inscription on the wooden backing of the frame
2.  Windsor Castle, both inv. no. Ms. A, p. 75 (R. Wittkower, The Drawings of the Carracci,...at Windsor Castle, 1952, p. 157, no. 433, fig. 60; no. 434); The Drawings of Annibale Carracci, exhib. cat., Washington, National Gallery of Art, 2000, p. 281, no. 91, reproduced respectively p. 280 and p. 281, fig. 1 (entry by K. Ganz)