Joseph Heintz the Elder

Sir Timothy Clifford (bears his mark, not in Lugt)

Window mounted. Minor thin areas towards top of sheet. Minor stains towards left & right edges, lower half of the sheet. Otherwise 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."

The combination of media seen in this very fine drawing is highly distinctive and unusual.  Most of the figure of the angel and substantial areas of the second figure are firmly yet subtly drawn, with great refinement, in red chalk, while the contours of the legs, the angel's body, and the rear figure's head are all boldly outlined with broad and sweeping yet slightly angular strokes of pen and ink. 

A somewhat similar approach to outlines is seen in certain drawings by Bartholomäus Spranger, but the artist who most frequently employed the unorthodox yet extremely effective technique seen here was Joseph Heintz the Elder.  Comparison with drawings by Heintz such as the sketchbook sheet with a woman leaning forward and other figures, in Budapest, reveal very close stylistic parallels.¹  In that drawing we also see exactly the same pointed nose, as well as other physiognomic features that are apparent in the newly identified Clifford Collection study. 

Jürgen Zimmer dates the Budapest drawing to around 1595-1605.  In 1591, Heintz had been named Imperial Painter at the Court of the Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, but was soon dispatched to Italy to make purchases for the imperial collection, and to study antiquities.  Heintz returned north in 1596, arriving in Prague around 1598, and during the years between then and around 1605, the full complement of the leading Rudolfine artists and designers of their generation - Heintz, Spranger, Hans von Aachen, Adriaen de Vries, Joris Hoefnagel and Hans Vredeman de Vries - worked side by side in a veritable frenzy of creativity and artistic originality.

A fine and characteristic example of a Rudolfine drawing of its time, this elegant drawing is also a very significant addition to the corpus of known drawings by Joseph Heintz.

1. Budapest, Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, inv. 58.458; J. Zimmer, Joseph Heintz der Ältere, Zeichnungen und Dokumente, Munich/Berlin 1988, pp. 143-4, no. A 70, fig. 112, colour plate VII