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Lot Essay
A preparatory drawing, formerly in the Goncourt Collection, exists for the present picture. The Goncourts attributed the drawing to Chardin which, given their interest in eighteenth-century French art, was among the most prized pieces in their collection. The attribution to Chardin, however, has been rejected by more recent scholars, and Elisabeth Launay, in her monograph on the Goncourt Collection of drawings, suggests Joseph Ducreux as a possible alternative (E. Launay, Les frères Goncourt, collectionneurs de dessins, Paris, 1991, no. 73, p. 277).
An alternative attribution, however, was suggested by the late James Byam Shaw, whose knowledge of eighteenth-century Venetian drawing was unrivalled. He attributed the preparatory drawing to Zuccarelli, a painter better known for his pastoral landscapes, but who also produced a small number of single figure portraits.
The sitter has not been identified, although it is interesting to note that Francesco Maria Tassi records that Zuccarelli painted a portrait of his mother, which is currently untraced. Given the rarity of Zuccarelli's portraiture the possibility that the present work is in fact the missing picture is an intriguing hypothesis.
An alternative attribution, however, was suggested by the late James Byam Shaw, whose knowledge of eighteenth-century Venetian drawing was unrivalled. He attributed the preparatory drawing to Zuccarelli, a painter better known for his pastoral landscapes, but who also produced a small number of single figure portraits.
The sitter has not been identified, although it is interesting to note that Francesco Maria Tassi records that Zuccarelli painted a portrait of his mother, which is currently untraced. Given the rarity of Zuccarelli's portraiture the possibility that the present work is in fact the missing picture is an intriguing hypothesis.