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LELIO ORSI | Recto: Figure study of a bearded man, design for a TelamonVerso: Study of a head and a butterfly
Estimate
7,000 - 9,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Lelio Orsi
- Recto: Figure study of a bearded man, design for a TelamonVerso: Study of a head and a butterfly
- Pen and brown ink (recto) black chalk (verso);bears later attribution in red biro, verso: Celio Gapare cav. Romano
- 210 by 70 mm; 8 1/4 by 2 3/4 in
Provenance
Private Collection, United Kingdom
Condition
Hinged to the mount at the left margin. Light scattered foxing at the upper and lower margins. Otherwise pen and ink 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.
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.
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
Previously unattributed, this drawing can be associated with a group of designs for caryatids and telamons by Lelio Orsi. A telamon, in architectural terms, is a large male figure that serves as a column. These figures would have been used by Orsi in the decorations he painted on palace façades in Novellara. Unfortunately these exterior frescoes have not survived, but through a drawing in the collection of The Morgan Library and Museum, New York, we can envisage the elaborate schemes he devised.1 A similar pen and ink drawing for a caryatid is in the Seattle Art Museum2 and two others were sold in 2003.3 Further pen and ink studies for telamon figures are in a private collection, and were included in the Lelio Orsi exhibition in 1987.4
1. New York, The Morgan Library and Museum, inv. no. 1973.34; Drawings from New York Collections: The Italian Renaissance, exhib. cat., New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1966, p. 65, no. 106, reproduced
2. Project for two telamons and one caryatid, Seattle Art Museum, inv. no. 58.131 It. 30
3. Sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 July 2003, lot 5
4. Lelio Orsi, exhib. cat., Reggio Emilia, Teatro Valli, 1987-8, p. 115, no. 100, reproduced
1. New York, The Morgan Library and Museum, inv. no. 1973.34; Drawings from New York Collections: The Italian Renaissance, exhib. cat., New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1966, p. 65, no. 106, reproduced
2. Project for two telamons and one caryatid, Seattle Art Museum, inv. no. 58.131 It. 30
3. Sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 July 2003, lot 5
4. Lelio Orsi, exhib. cat., Reggio Emilia, Teatro Valli, 1987-8, p. 115, no. 100, reproduced