Pirro Ligorio

Richard Cosway (L.629);                                
A.F. Cresswell;
E.A. Wrangham,
his sale and others, London, Sotheby's, 1 July 1965, lot 8 (as Polidoro Caldara da Caravaggio);
purchased at the sale by Lester Francis Avnet;
With Phyllis Hattis Fine Art, New York,
from whom acquired by the late Jan Krugier in 1990

New York et al., The American Federation of Arts, Old Master Drawings, from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Francis Avnet, 1969-70, no. 7 (as Polidoro da Caravaggio), reproduced;
Seattle, University of Washington, Henry Art Gallery, The Classical Tradition, 1982-83

J.A. Gere, 'Some Early Drawings by Pirro Ligorio,' Master Drawings, vol. IX,  no. 3 (1971), pp. 242-244, and p. 249, note 15, reproduced, pl. 6a;
Linie, Licht und Schatten, Meisterzeichnungen und Skulpturen der Sammlung Jan und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, exhib. cat., Berlin 1999, p. 409, reproduced;
The Timeless Eye. Master Drawings from the Jan and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski Collection, exhib.cat., Berlin 1999, p. 409, reproduced

Laid down on the old mount. Generally in good condition. A few small brown ink marks and a few light pinkish and light brown stains, especially to the left side of the sheet. Trace of an old slight vertical fold to the left of the seated figure. Some surface dirt but black chalk quite strong and fresh. Sold mounted and framed on a modern wooden frame.
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 Pirro Ligorio was first suggested by John Gere in his article on some early drawings by the artist (see Literature).  Gere rightly stressed  the strong stylistic similarities between this sheet, previously attributed to Polidoro da Caravaggio, and a red chalk study of A group of women washing a baby, at Christ Church, Oxford.¹  He also pointed out that although ‘Polidoresque’, the style of the Christ Church drawing revealed a less sophisticated artistic personality than Polidoro.  A similar group of figures in the British Museum, executed in pen and ink, was also attributed to Ligorio by Popham on the strength of its similarity to the Oxford sheet.²  Gere also compared the present drawing with a red chalk study of a Sybil, in the Metropolitan Museum, a drawing previously given to Sebastiano del Piombo, which he convincingly reattributed to Pirro Ligorio.³

In this characteristic, and characterful, drawing, we see very clearly Pirro Ligorio's strong interest in the antique, a tradition initiated by Peruzzi, via Raphael, and continued by several artists, including Polidoro, with whom Ligorio can at first glance be easily confused.  Besides working as an architect and a painter, Ligorio was also an antiquarian and restorer.  

¹ Inv. no. 0192 (Bell F.6); Gere, op. cit., p. 242, reproduced pl. 4
² Inv. no. 1895-9-15-560; Gere, op. cit., p. 242, reproduced pl. 5
³ Inv. no.  62.120.7; Gere, op. cit., p. 244, reproduced pl. 15