The heads of two boys

Details

Federico Zuccaro (Sant'Angelo in Vado, Marches 1540-1609 Ancona)
The heads of two boys
with inscription 'Federico Zucheri 2.' (recto and verso), and numbered '11' in a box (recto)
black and red chalk (recto), pen and brown ink, with a red chalk offset of a mask and a portrait of a cardinal by another hand, extended at the top (verso)
172 x 124 mm.

Provenance

Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 7 July 1991, lot 234 (to Dreesmann).
Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann (inventory no. B-140).

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

James Mundy has kindly confirmed the attribution to Federico on examining the original. Dr Mundy notes that while studies of children's heads are often related to projects in Rome in the 1590s, drawings such as the present sheet may date from Federico's period in Florence in 1575-1579, J. Mundy, Renaissance into Baroque, Italian Master Drawings by the Zuccari 1550-1600, Milwaukee, 1990, nos. 75-77.
Two drawings by Cigoli with similar boxed numerals, possibly relating to an early Florentine collection, were sold in these Rooms, 11-13 December 1985, lots 194-195.

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