Lot 20
  • 20

Federico Zuccaro

Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 USD
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Description

  • Federico Zuccaro
  • The Resurrection of Lazarus
  • Pen and brown ink and wash, heightened with white, over traces of black chalk, on paper washed light ochre-brown

Provenance

Isabelle and Christophe Desneux,
thence by inheritance to their nephew,
François de la Noüe,
thence by inheritance to his brother,
Aubin de la Noüe;
Charles-François, Marquis de Calvière (1693-1777), his mount and attribution in pen and brown ink to: Thadée Zuccaro
thence by descent,
sale, Paris, Christie's, Dessins Anciens de l'Ancienne Collection di Marquis de Calvière, 17 December 2003, lot 2;
Private Collection, Belgium

Literature

J. Mundy, 'Additions to and Observations on Federico's Zuccaro's Drawings from the Critical 1560s', Master Drawings, vol. XLIII, no. 2, 2005, pp. 172, 177, p. 185, note 29, reproduced p. 176, fig. 18

Condition

Laid down on the old mount which has been reduced but still has the old attribution written by Calvière. There is a splash of light brown ink at the top to the right of the figure of Christ. The ink has sunk a bit, but the overall composition is still readable, and the drawing is in quite 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.
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

The present finished study by Federico is one of the fourteen surviving drawings related to his fresco of the Raising of Lazarus, painted for the Grimani Chapel in the church of S. Francesco della Vigna, Venice, a commission which brought Federico to the city in October 1563 (fig. 1).1  As James Mundy observed, this event marks Federico's total independence from his brother Taddeo, to whom this drawing was formerly attributed when in the collection of the Marquis de Calvière (1693-1777). 

Among the surviving sheets witnessing Federico's laborious work for this commission are two further compositional studies of a similar size to this, one a squared drawing in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm2, the other in the Louvre.3  Together with the present sheet, these drawings, with their various differences in composition and degree of finish, document the final stage in the development of the composition, before the execution of the fresco itself (the drawing in the Louvre being the closest in composition to the final fresco).  As Mundy has, however, noted, the precise role of each drawing in the painting's evolution remains unclear.

The present sheet is the only one drawn on washed paper, and it appears close in quality to the sheet in the Stockholm.  The drawing differs from the final fresco in numerous ways, such as the pose of the figure of Lazarus, who appears here more upright and frontal, and there is evidence of numerous minor changes in the other figures and in the architectural setting.  

We are grateful to James Mundy for confirming the attribution to Federico in a recent communication.4

1. For an account of the related drawings and the development towards the final composition see J. Mundy, loc. cit.

2. Stockholm, Nationalmuseum inv. no. NM 477/1863; C. Acidini Luchinat, Taddeo e Federico Zuccari, fratelli pittori del Cinquecento, Milan 1998, p. 231, reproduced fig. 12 

3. Paris, Louvre, inv. no. 4543; J. Mundy, op. cit., p. 172, p. 185 note 28, reproduced p. 176, fig. 17

4. E-mail, 3 November 2016