GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI | Study of a young man seated, seen in profile

Sale, London, Sotheby's, 4 July 1988, lot 79;
Private Collection, France;
sale, London, Sotheby's, "Master Drawings from a Distinguished European Collection", 6 July 2010, lot 52,
where acquired by the present owner

Window mounted and laid down on japan paper. The paper has thinned in several places, as it seems that the drawing has been taken off an old backing sheet. The surface in some parts of the recto has suffered, particularly in the upper left corner, where there is a small tear that has been repaired, although this does not affect the drawn figure. The paper appears to have some creases inherent to the sheet. Some surface dirt, but the black chalk is still fresh. Sold in a wooden carved modern frame.
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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."

This quick sketch, probably a study from life, depicting a gentleman wearing a greatcoat, seated on a ladder-back chair, effortlessly captures the essence of the figure in Piranesi's energetic style. Hylton Thomas writes that these studies, whether in chalk or ink, reveal the artist's fascination with action and movement, as Piranesi looked to build up a repertory of figural motifs to be used whenever necessary. Indeed, such was Piranesi’s prolificacy and enthusiasm as a draughtsman that an early biographer, Jacques-Guillaume Legrand, recorded that the artist carried sheets of paper and chalk with him and sketched constantly in his spare moments, with many of these figure studies, such as the present work and lot 123, constituting some of the artist’s most attractive and spontaneous drawings.¹

We are very grateful to Andrew Robison who has proposed a slightly earlier dating for the present work to the late 1740s. Robison relates our sheet to a red chalk drawing of A Man Writing, previously on the New York art market,² noting that both works probably depict the same figure and may well have been drawn at the same time.

^1. H. Thomas, The Drawings of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, London 1954, pp. 25-27
^2. Sale, New York, Christie’s, 30 January 1997, lot 97