Lot Essay
The former attribution to Rosso was made by Eugene-Emmanuel Pineu-Duval, known as Amaury-Duval, in the catalogue of the Baron Vivant Denon's collection in 1829. If the weathered figure of the hermit is a recurrent theme in Rosso's work throughout his lifetime and the posture characteristic of his composition, the draughtsmanship suggests a French hand working under his influence. The linear rendering of the arms and legs are typical of the School of Fontainebleau, while the geometric representation of the tunic recalls the French miniaturist tradition.
An attribution to Battista Franco has been tentatively suggested by Paul Joannides and Vara Lauder on the basis that in his early career, Franco is known to have had a particular interest in the work of Rosso Fiorentino. A red chalk drawing by Rosso of A draped female Figure bearing a Bundle on her Head at Chatsworth, (M. Jaffé, The Devonshire Collection of Italian Drawings, Tuscan and Umbrian, London, 1994, no. 58, illustrated) was copied by Franco in a drawing now at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, K.T. Parker, Catalogue of the collection of Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1956, no. 236.
An attribution to Battista Franco has been tentatively suggested by Paul Joannides and Vara Lauder on the basis that in his early career, Franco is known to have had a particular interest in the work of Rosso Fiorentino. A red chalk drawing by Rosso of A draped female Figure bearing a Bundle on her Head at Chatsworth, (M. Jaffé, The Devonshire Collection of Italian Drawings, Tuscan and Umbrian, London, 1994, no. 58, illustrated) was copied by Franco in a drawing now at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, K.T. Parker, Catalogue of the collection of Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1956, no. 236.