Lot 61
  • 61

Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino

Estimate
15,000 - 18,000 GBP
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Description

  • Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino
  • A seated female nude, possibly a study for a Susannah
  • Red chalk and stumping and red wash

Condition

Hinged to the mount at the upper margin. The sheet appears to have been cleaned at some stage. There are various small holes and tears that have been repaired - the repairs are visible on the verso. There are some tiny circular brown stains/foxmarks located in the upper left corner of the sheet, barely visible. There is a tiny nick in the sheet at the left margin in the centre. Red chalk remains strong and overall image good.
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

Stylistically, this attractive and arresting drawing of a young female nude, most probably a study for a Susannah, appears to have been executed in the 1630s.  Without the inclusion of the bath the young figure might not be easily recognizable as Susannah, who is more commonly depicted with her arm raised to defend herself from the Elders.  Instead the lady depicted here, with her penetrating gaze, is more like a portrait study and is reminiscent of Guercino's Half-length Study of a Woman, in profile to the left.1  Both figures are framed by lines of shading on the right and both give the impression of being works of art in their own right.

As a relatively finished and developed drawing it is not dissimilar in concept to the British Museum’s red chalk study of Cleopatra.2  That drawing is, however, more obviously refined in its application of chalk and the looser, sketchier elements within our drawing are more comparable with a study for The Visitation, at Windsor.3  A parallel can also be drawn in the treatment of our young woman’s face with the delicate use of stumping and the similar rendering of the Madonna’s face in this Windsor drawing.

The pose does not correspond exactly to that seen in any of Guercino's extant paintings of Susannah and the Elders but is perhaps closest to the version in the National Gallery, Parma. The later dating of that painting does not, however, correlate with the stylistic dating of the present study and therefore no definite connection can be made.  Guercino treated the subject of Susannah and the Elders on a number of occasions; this striking and bold depiction of Susannah may be for a lost composition.

1.  Sale, London, Sotheby's, 6 July 2010, lot 118
2.  N. Turner and C. Plazzotta, Drawings by Guercino from British Collections, London 1991, cat. no. 120, reproduced, pl. 19 (BM inv. no. 1895-9-15-709)
3.  Ibid., cat no. 90, reproduced fig. 90
4.  L. Salerno, I Dipinti del Guercino, Rome 1988, p. 337, no. 267, reproduced