Lot 64
  • 64

Marco Benefial

Estimate
7,000 - 9,000 USD
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Description

  • Marco Benefial
  • Two male nudes, and separate studies of a leg, a left arm and a right hand
  • Black and red chalk with traces of white heighteneing on paper washed blue

Provenance

Bartolomeo Cavaceppi, Rome (1716-1799);
Michelangelo Pacetti (L.2057);
Kuperfstichkabinett, Berlin (L.1632, lower right only slightly visible), with the museum release stamp on the verso

Condition

Laid down and overall in good condition. Slight surface dirt around the margins and a slight vertical abrasion towards the right margin through the right end of the figure.
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

Several studies such as this, formerly in the collection of the Kuperfstichkabinett in Berlin, came onto the market in the late 1980s.  The Kuperfstichkabinett still has several studies by Benefial, which, like the present sheet, were acquired from Pacetti but came originally from the collection of the famous sculptor and antiquarian Bartolomeo Cavaceppi, in Rome. 
Kees van Dooren, in his informative article on the artist's drawings, writes that there are about seventy known figure studies connected to Benefial's paintings and these are all drawn in chalk, a medium to be expected from an artist trained in the Bolognese-Roman tradition.1

1.  K. van Dooren, 'The Drawings of Marco Benefial', Master Drawings, vol. 46, no. 1, 2008, p. 73