GIACOMO CAVEDONE | THE HEAD OF AN OLD MAN, PROBABLY ST JOSEPH

Probably Pierre-Jean Mariette (1694-1774), Paris (remnants of his typical blue mount),

his sale, Paris, F. Basan, 15 November 1775 - 30 January 1776, lot 361, 'une grosse Tete de vieillard, au bistre, rehaussé de blanc' (as Cavedone);

sale, London, Christie's, 1 July 1986, lot 83,

where acquired by Jeffrey E Horvitz,

his sale, New York, Sotheby's, 23 January 2008, lot 57

This impressive head study has been considered to be preparatory for the figure of St. Joseph in Cavedone's important altarpiece, The Adoration of the Magi, painted in 1614 for the Arrigoni Chapel, S. Paolo Maggiore, Bologna. However, the use of greasy black chalk with white heightening, and also the simplified hatching, are characteristic of Cavedone's later works. It therefore seems that the drawing should in fact be dated after 1620. It has not yet been connected with a specific painting, but this type of bearded old man is entirely consistent with other studies of St. Joseph in Cavedone's oeuvre.

There were only three lots listed under Cavedone in the Mariette sale and lot 361 (see Provenance) was clearly considered a superior drawing as it was the only drawing offered in the lot in comparison to the other two lots which each contained multiple drawings (360 and 362).