Lot 310
  • 310

GAUDENZIO FERRARI | Study for an Infant Christ

Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 GBP
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Description

  • Gaudenzio Ferrari
  • Study forĀ an Infant Christ
  • Pen and brown ink over black chalk
  • 528 by 386 mm

Provenance

Paul Brandt, Amsterdam (1900-1984)

Condition

Laid down on another sheet and on japan paper fixed around the margins on a board. Upper right corner and area around missing and made up. Made up in the lower bottom section of the sheet and some of the toes of left foot redrawn by a later hand. Fold and cracks in the mid of the sheet once folded. Staining and small tears around the margins and scattered around.
"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

This fascinating study for a Christ Child seems to be a modello, in reverse, for the infant Christ in Gaudenzio Ferrari's altarpiece, Madonna and Child enthroned with St. Martin and ?St. Maurice, datable just before 1535, now in the Galleria Sabauda, Turin (fig. 1). The Christ Child in the present sheet must be close in size to its counterpart in the painting.  The hand of the Bishop Saint is indicated in the drawing to the left, with above it and to the right the two hands of the Madonna.

This must be a preparatory drawing, and not a study after the painting, and a further design for the right hand of the Madonna holding the Child can be seen above the bishop's hand. 

A drawing copying the entire composition of the painting by a Follower of Gaudenzio is in the Lehman Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.1

1. New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv. no. 1975.1.323