A sketchbook including a selection of 14 bozzetti (recto and verso of the sheets), of which 6 on sepia paper, 7 on white paper, and 1 on fine tracing paper.

A very interesting summation of Fortuny's thematic and stylistic concerns in the early 1860s, this sketchbook is a rare collection of the most diverse sheets - from the finished studies for the famous Batalla de Tetuàn (1863, Private Collection) to the delicate architectural drawings, genre sketches and Orientalist landscapes, where the subject becomes a pretext for small technical tours de force and unique investigations in the nature of chiaroscuro. Bearing the signature of Fortuny's students and colleagues - led by his close friend and biographer, the artist Attilio Simonetti (1843-1925) - the precious book pays homage to Fortuny's crucial role within the Roman artistic community in the mid-19th century, whilst celebrating the richness and complexity of the master's creative endeavours.