Erminia and the Shepherds

The attribution was kindly confirmed by Olivier Aaron who connects the drawing to a picture by Pierre in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, P. Rosenberg, 'Un Pierre retrouvé', Paragone, 1985, 419-23, pp. 269-73, pl. 172. The picture was engraved in 1751 by Etienne Fessard (1714-1777) with a dedication to Louis Philippe, duc d'Orléans, P. Rosenberg, op. cit., pl. 173. At that time the picture was owned by the amateur Claude-Henri Watelet, who had no fewer that 24 paintings by Pierre. The picture is dated by Pierre Rosenberg soon before the print.
We are grateful to Olivier Aaron and Nicolas Lesur for their help in cataloguing this lot.