Bernardo Strozzi (Genoa 1581-1644 Venice)

The 'P.G.' inscribed on the verso by the collector Zaccaria Sagredo (1653-1723) refers to Strozzi's nickname Prete genovese, referring to the artist's sojourn in a convent. This sheet was once part of an album, the so-called Sagredo/Borghese album, which is thought to have been compiled by Sagredo and sold in the mid-18th Century. About forty drawings attributed to Strozzi are from that album, including another less finished drawing of Saint Peter numbered '38' sold at Christie's, Monaco (2 July 1993, lot 39). Both drawings relate to a painting of Saint Peter in a New York private collection (Mortari, 1995, op. cit., p. 184, no. 465).