Echoes of the Past: Property from an Important Private Collection

Provenance:

Giancarlo Baroni (1926-2007), Switzerland

His posthumous sale, Sotheby's, New York, 29 & 30 January 2013, Lot 80

Sale: Christie's, London, July 5, 2017, Lot 2 (as 'Umbrian School, circa 1480')

Lot Essay:

This rare preparatory drawing was likely created as a modello to present to a patron for the tomb of the renowned 15th-century humanist Niccolò Perotti. Identified by Dr. Paul Taylor, the sheet dates after Perotti’s death in 1480. Perotti, author of the first modern Latin grammar, was buried in Manfredonia Cathedral, Puglia. Sadly, the cathedral was destroyed in the 17th century, and no trace of the tomb remains. The drawing shows several design options for the tomb’s border and the cloth beneath the headrest. Perotti is depicted with hands crossed over a book, another at his feet. The inscription includes the date MCCCCLXXX and the opening line of Rudimenta Grammatices, printed in 1473 and widely distributed across Europe by century’s end.

Executed on green-primed paper, the artist used pen, ink, brush, and white highlights to evoke sculptural depth. The border includes six different possibilities for the its design, and two further options, embroidered or plain, for the pleated cloth below the tasseled pillow where the humanist's head rests. The capital letters inscribed on the base, before date of his death, MCCCCLXXX, correspond to the first line of his famed, 'Rudimenta Grammatices,' which by the end of the century was being distributed all over Europe and reprinted a momentous 117 times.

The style recalls Ferrarese master Cosmè Tura and Florentine sculptor Bernardo Rossellino. The careful rendering of drapery suggests influence from Ferrara’s sculptural traditions. In 15th-century Puglia, it was common to commission works from northern artists, especially from Ferrara and Venice, regions renowned for their artistic excellence. This drawing reflects that cultural and artistic exchange.