Bartolomeo Passarotti (b. Bologna 1529, d. Rome 1592)
Purchased by the National Gallery of Denmark in May 2018.
A seated woman looking backwards. Unsigned. Drawing ink with a black chalk underdrawing on paper. Sheet size 415×280 mm.
Passarotti, a key figure in Bologna at the transition from Mannerism to Baroque, is especially known for his vivid cross-hatching which is clearly seen in the present drawing. The composition is typical for Passarotti and the seated woman can be compared with a drawing of a woman seen from the back at The Willumsen Museum (inv. no. GS. 763) and The Sleeping Woman, formerly in the Oppenheimer Collection (sold Sotheby's Monaco, 1987, lot 34. Gernsheim 3845), both of the approximately same size as the present drawing.
Exhibited: The Nivaagaard Collection, “Tegnekunst på Nivaagaard”, 1983, no. 6. Reproduced pl. 6.
Provenance: Johan Conrad Spengler (1767–1839) (Lugt 1434), his estate sale 1839, no. 35 (as Domenico del Barbiere). Here purchased by Benjamin Wolff (1790–1866) (Lugt 420). Thence by descent.
On the reverse an unidentified collectors mark showing an eagle (not in Lugt).
Condition report on request. Contact wolff@bruun-rasmussen.dk
Please note: The item is subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In the event of a hammer price of DKK 50,000 or more, including buyer’s premium, the buyer must submit a copy of a valid photo ID and proof of address in order to collect the item.
The Wolff Collection, 30 May 2018