Lot Essay
The twisting pose recalls the work of Parmigianino but the penwork, particularly the crosshatching, is unlike any of his drawings. Agostino's study of 16th Century art is clear from the number of engravings which he made after Mannerist paintings, and he was no doubt aware of Parmigianino's drawings. Although it is difficult to find exact parallels in Agostino's work, the manner in which the torso is split up into areas of hatching- not unlike an etching- is paralleled in the study formerly in the Ellesmere Collection, Sotheby's, London, 11 July 1972, lot 26, illustrated