North Italian School, 16th Century

Giuseppe Vallardi, his numbering in red chalk on the verso: V. 128;
sale, London, Christie's, 6 July 1999, lot 7 (as Antonio da Sangallo the Younger);
sale, Paris, Christie's, 27 November 2002, lot 22 (as Antonio da Sangallo the Younger);
sale, London, Christie's, 12 December 2003, lot 305 (as Antonio da Sangallo the Younger),
where acquired by the late Jan Krugier

C.L. Frommel, 'Unbekannte Entwürfe Sangallos für die Gräber Leos X und Clemens VII,' Italia et Germania, liber amicorum Arnold Esch, curated by Hagen Keller, Tübingen 2001, p. 334, note 70, reproduced p. 357, fig. 20

Hinged at the top to the new mount. The drawing is overall in good condition. Some traces of an old fold to the right bottom corner, and some creases at the top right corner and along the margins: top, right and bottom. Surface dirt and some light soiling around the margins: top, right and bottom. Sold mounted and framed in a French carved and gilded 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.

As Professor Frommel has pointed out in his article, this drawing is reminiscent of Raphael's Gonzaga monument and also of Michelangelo's Tomb of Julius II, but the inscription in the entablature frieze ”CAESAR AUGUSTUS DIVI”, as well as the triumphal procession above, suggests a link with the Emperor Charles V, who established contacts with numerous Italian artists during his stay in Bologna around 1529-30.  Frommel also suggested that this drawing could be linked with a sculptor like Alfonso Lombardi, who worked for Charles V and was closely familiar with Raphael’s Gonzaga project, but by whom no drawings have so far been identified.

The drawing appeared on the art market with an attribution to Antonio da Sangallo the Younger very shortly after a group of four drawings by Sangallo, which were sold in 1998, and it was therefore associated with this group of designs for monuments and tombs.¹  It is very close in format to those drawings by Sangallo, and is executed in the same media, over stylus indications, on what appears to be a very similar sheet of paper.

1. Sale, London, Christie's, 7 July 1998, lots 50-53