Live Auction 22326Old Master & British Drawings
AFTER BACCIO DELLA PORTA, CALLED FRA BARTOLOMEO (FLORENCE 1472-1517 PIAN DI MUGNONE)
Lot 1

AFTER BACCIO DELLA PORTA, CALLED FRA BARTOLOMEO (FLORENCE 1472-1517 PIAN DI MUGNONE)

Head of a friar wearing a cowl, seen in three-quarter profile

Closed1 February 2024

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USD 12,600

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AFTER BACCIO DELLA PORTA, CALLED FRA BARTOLOMEO (FLORENCE 1472-1517 PIAN DI MUGNONE)
Head of a friar wearing a cowl, seen in three-quarter profile
with inscription in graphite ‘Savonarola par Fra Bartolommeo’ (lower center, mostly erased)
black chalk
13 1⁄8 x 9 1⁄8 in. (33.5 x 23.4 cm)

Robert Prioleau Roupell (1798-1886), London (L. 2234); Christie’s, London, 12 July 1887, lot 719 (as Fra Bartolomeo, Head of a monk).
Sir John Charles Robinson (1824-1913), London (L. 1433, with associated inscription ‘[?] July 12 1887/ from Roupelli sale/ this is the portrait of Fra Bartolommeo/ [?] it by himself’ (verso); Christie’s, London, 12 May 1902, lot 17 (as Fra Bartolomeo, Portrait of the artist).
with Parsons and Sons, London.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London, 25 February 1948, lot 82.
with Hans Calmann (1899-1982), London.
with Mrs. H. de Beer.
with Colnaghi, London.
with Frits Lugt (1884-1970), Paris.
Gerald Guterman, New York.

Specialist note

This powerful portrait is an early copy of a drawing by Fra Bartolommeo of almost the same size, and executed in the same technique, that was once in the Thomas Lawrence collection and has recently appeared on the art market (Baroni, op. cit., no. 29, ill.). The existence of this early copy and its own prestigious provenance attest to the importance and significance of Fra Bartolommeo’s masterful portrait. Because of its quality the present sheet was long believed to be an autograph work by the artist. The sitter was, at some point, identified with Fra Bartolommeo himself and the drawing described as a self-portrait. Although the author of this drawing remains unidentified, the sheet conveys the refinement and the intensity of Fra Bartolommeo’s own work.