Lot 14
  • 14

Giovanni Battista Franco, called il Semolei

Estimate
200 - 300 GBP
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Description

  • Giovanni Battista Franco, called il Semolei
  • A boy, writing or sketching
  • Pen and brown ink and wash, within brown ink framing lines;
    bears numbering and old attribution on the mount, verso: No. 11. Battista Franco, / Veneziano; Mori / l'anno 1561.-.

Provenance

Sir Erasmus Philipps,
thence by inheritance to Baron Milford (L.2687);
Purchased from Hans Calmann, London, 1943

Exhibited

London, Royal Academy, The Paul Oppé Collection, 1958, no. 440

Literature

A.V. Lauder, 'Battista Franco, c. 1510-1561: His Life and Work with Catalogue Raisonné', PhD Thesis, University of Cambridge 2004, vol. 2, no. 449 DA, vol. 4, reproduced fig. 761.

Condition

Laid down. A light yellow/brown stain located at the upper left corner. Some surface dirt. Medium is still strong and vibrant.
"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."

Catalogue Note

We are grateful to Anne Varick Lauder for the following information: the Oppé drawing appears to be a late work executed in Venice around 1552-61.  It bears a resemblance to other Venetian period drawings by the artist in the delicate and free application of wash, comparable with that seen in the study in the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, for figures from the Purgatorial episode in the lower register of the Baptism of Christ in the Barbaro chapel, S. Francesco della Vigna, Venice.1

 1. New Haven, CT, Yale University Art Gallery, inv. no. 1976. 60; A.V. Lauder, 'Un nuovo disegno di Battista Franco per il ‘Battesimo di Cristo’ della cappella Barbaro', Arte Veneta, 50, 1997, pp. 98-99, reproduced fig. 1