Luca Giordano

Once folded for about 3 cm all around the left, right and bottom margins. Some traces of a light grey foxing to the upper part. Staining scattered at the bottom section of the drawing. A trace of a water damage not very visible along the bottom and a bigger light beige stain to the left bottom margin. On the verso the trace of a vertical fold is visible which is not detectable from the recto. Media still strong.
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The recto of the present sheet is closely related to Luca Giordano's painting of the same subject, now in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires (inv. no. 2464).  The earliest of a number of depictions of the subject that Giordano executed during the course of his career, this first version was clearly inspired by Ribera's painting of 1637, in the Museo del Prado, Madrid.  In fact the drawing style of the recto is also very 'riberesque', reflecting the long-lasting influence of the Spanish master on Giordano's style, and the drawing was probably made in the 1650s, after the artist's return from his Roman sojourn. 

There are no significant differences between the drawing and the painting, although the table in the right foreground is only very lightly sketched in the drawing.  Both in the drawing and in the painting, Giordano seems to succeed in emulating Ribera's capacity to transmit a range of emotions.  The drawing is meticulously executed in red chalk, characterized by secure outlines and short parallel strokes to indicate the shadows.  The surface of the paper on the recto is tinted with the red powdered color typically used by Giordano to embellish his finished drawings.  He was especially fond of this technique in his early career, though he continued to use it well into the 1670s.  These finished studies must have been in great demand with collectors and provided some kind of income for the artist in his early years.  

We have not been able to connect the studies on the verso with any of Giordano's known paintings.