Workshop of Giovanni Guerra

Hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern card backing. There are some very minor nicks to the upper edge and some minor areas of staining throughout. The work remains in otherwise very fine condition, with the pen and ink medium fresh and vibrant throughout and the image strong.
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 present drawing appears to be executed by one of the numerous artists who worked in Rome under the supervision of Giovanni Guerra (c. 1540-1618) and Cesare Nebbia (c.1536-c.1613), executing a vast series of decorations for the Pope Sixtus V, Peretti (1585-1590), during the years of the 'cantieri sistini.'  These projects included the decorations of the Lateran Palace, the Benediction Loggia in the Basilica, the Vatican Library, the Scala Santa, and the Palazzo di Montecavallo (now the Quirinal).  Though Baglione, who assisted both Guerra and Nebbia in all Sixtus V's buildings, insisted that all drawings for these projects were executed by Nebbia, based on Guerra's inventions, in such a vast enterprise many of the drawings must actually have been made by other artists, their names today forgotten, whose work in the 'cantieri' was not documented, as all payments for the work would have been made to Guerra and Nebbia.