拍品專文
Sir Denis Mahon kindly confirmed the attribution and suggests that this dates from the 1640s.
This drawing comes from the Casa Gennari, Bologna, which housed the large group of drawings inherited by Guercino's nephews and heirs, Benedetto and Cesare Gennari. The inventory of the property of the Gennari family drawn up in 1719 reveals that the Guercino drawings were kept in three different ways: framed and hanging on the wall, preserved in eleven large albums and loose, presumably in folders. Filippo Antonio Gennari (1677-1751) began to sell drawings from the Casa Gennari and his heir Carlo (1716-1790) accelerated the process. The steady erosion of the collection was, in part, inspired by the great enthusiasm of English collectors for Guercino drawings for, as Mariette noted in the Abecedario: 'Les Anglois sont passionés pour les desseins de Guerchin'. The dealer William Kent was among the first to extract drawings directly from the Casa Gennari; he sold these in London in 1762. Richard Dalton, the Librarian of George, Prince of Wales, later King George III, writing from Florence in 1758, boasted of having acquired some 40 Guercino drawings, presumably bought from the Casa Gennari. Dalton subsequently bought for King George III around 800 more drawings from the same source to create the largest and most comprehensive collection of Guercino drawings.
Apart from the Royal Collection the most important group of Guercino drawings were brought to England by a certain 'Mr Bouverie', whom Turner convincingly argues is John Bouverie (circa 1722-1750), Turner and Plazzotta, pp. 21-6. John Bouverie inherited a large fortune on the death of his father and elder brother in 1732/3 and 1734. In 1742 he went abroad on the Grand Tour, principally in Italy, under the care of his tutor John Clephane. As Turner pointed out, Bouverie is mentioned by Sir Horace Mann writing to Horace Walpole from Florence on 11 December 1742 as being the purchaser of a book of drawings by Guercino. Bouverie bought the drawings from a certain Abbé Bonducci, who had presumably acquired them from Guercino's descendent Filippo Antonio Gennari or his nephew Carlo. Bouverie must have bought more Guercino drawings on subsequent visits to Italy in the 1740s as the sale at Christie's in 1859 of part of his collection included some 200 studies by the artist. The Bouverie drawings passed to his nephew Mr Hervey, identified by Turner as Christopher (died 1786). The collection passed by inheritance to Charles Noel, created 1st Earl of Gainsborough in 1841, and he sold part of it at Christie's in 1859. Further sales of drawings from the collections of the 3rd and 5th Earls of Gainsborough were held in 1922, 1953 and 1972
This drawing comes from the Casa Gennari, Bologna, which housed the large group of drawings inherited by Guercino's nephews and heirs, Benedetto and Cesare Gennari. The inventory of the property of the Gennari family drawn up in 1719 reveals that the Guercino drawings were kept in three different ways: framed and hanging on the wall, preserved in eleven large albums and loose, presumably in folders. Filippo Antonio Gennari (1677-1751) began to sell drawings from the Casa Gennari and his heir Carlo (1716-1790) accelerated the process. The steady erosion of the collection was, in part, inspired by the great enthusiasm of English collectors for Guercino drawings for, as Mariette noted in the Abecedario: 'Les Anglois sont passionés pour les desseins de Guerchin'. The dealer William Kent was among the first to extract drawings directly from the Casa Gennari; he sold these in London in 1762. Richard Dalton, the Librarian of George, Prince of Wales, later King George III, writing from Florence in 1758, boasted of having acquired some 40 Guercino drawings, presumably bought from the Casa Gennari. Dalton subsequently bought for King George III around 800 more drawings from the same source to create the largest and most comprehensive collection of Guercino drawings.
Apart from the Royal Collection the most important group of Guercino drawings were brought to England by a certain 'Mr Bouverie', whom Turner convincingly argues is John Bouverie (circa 1722-1750), Turner and Plazzotta, pp. 21-6. John Bouverie inherited a large fortune on the death of his father and elder brother in 1732/3 and 1734. In 1742 he went abroad on the Grand Tour, principally in Italy, under the care of his tutor John Clephane. As Turner pointed out, Bouverie is mentioned by Sir Horace Mann writing to Horace Walpole from Florence on 11 December 1742 as being the purchaser of a book of drawings by Guercino. Bouverie bought the drawings from a certain Abbé Bonducci, who had presumably acquired them from Guercino's descendent Filippo Antonio Gennari or his nephew Carlo. Bouverie must have bought more Guercino drawings on subsequent visits to Italy in the 1740s as the sale at Christie's in 1859 of part of his collection included some 200 studies by the artist. The Bouverie drawings passed to his nephew Mr Hervey, identified by Turner as Christopher (died 1786). The collection passed by inheritance to Charles Noel, created 1st Earl of Gainsborough in 1841, and he sold part of it at Christie's in 1859. Further sales of drawings from the collections of the 3rd and 5th Earls of Gainsborough were held in 1922, 1953 and 1972