- 60
Antonio Domenico Gabbiani
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description
- Antonio Domenico Gabbiani
- Recto: A study for a female allegorical figure and a separate study for her head;Verso: A study for the same figure
- Black chalk on paper washed gray (recto and verso);
bears old inventory numbers in pen and brown ink recto: 259. , 272. and verso: No. 932
Condition
Hinged at the top corner to a modern mount. Overall in very good condition. Color of paper and chalk well preserved recto and verso. A few tiny light brown stains which do not affect the freshness of the sheet.
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
The studies on both sides of this sheet are preparatory for the female allegorical figure of Science in Gabbiani's ceiling fresco in the Palazzina della Meridiana, Palazzo Pitti, Florence. The ceiling, 'Allegoria del Tempo che esalta la Scienza e calpesta l'Ignoranza', painted in 1693, is considered Gabbiani's masterpiece. The vaulted ceiling is embellished at the four corners with an elegant stucco decoration including cornucopie overflowing with flowers and fruits, most probably executed by Giovan Battista Corbellini. It has been suggested that the ceiling was painted as an homage from Ferdinado de' Medici to Galileo.1 This very accomplished work is strongly influenced by the style of Pietro da Cortona's grand decorative scheme in Palazzo Pitti, which had profoundly altered the taste for monumental decoration executed by his Tuscan contemporaries. A number of preparatory studies in chalk, drawn in a very similar Cortonesque style, are in the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe of the Uffizi, and have been published by Riccardo Spinelli.2
1. R. Spinelli, Il Gran Principe Ferdinando de'Medici e Anton Domenico Gabbiani, exhib. cat., Poggio a Caiano, Villa di Poggio a Caiano, 2003, pp. 74-81, figs. 2-6
2. loc. cit.