Gisberto Ceracchini

Study for "The Guardians"

1931

Ink and sepia wash on light wove paper, 5 1/8 x 4 inches (128 x 100 mm), signed in brown ink and dated in black ink below the image. Scattered light foxing and uniform toning. Adhered to nonarchival white cardstock, creating minor cockling, and obscuring the verso. Alberto Prosdocimi (1852-1925) was an Italian watercolorist and celebrated mansucript illuminator known for his atmospheric cityscapes and interior views of Venice. His canal scences are simple yet masterful, filled with languid motion...

Graphite and ink on handmade, watermarked C & I Honig laid paper, 8 15/16 x 6 3/4 inches (226 x 170 mm). Signed illegibly in ink, lower margin. Scattered light creasing and surface...

Graphite and grayish ink wash on bluish wove paper, 7 x 10 1/2 inches (177 x 265 mm) (matrix). Scattered surface soiling, adhesive residue, dog-eared corners, and scattered edge tears along left margin, outside of image area. Paper is braced on the verso with two pages from a mid 19th century book with illustrations by C.Perrin. One image depicts a scene of a group of soldiers representing the Holy Roman Empire...

Graphite with white heightening on greenish beige wove paper, 17 1/4 x 12 1/2 (437 x 317 mm). Scattered edge wear, tears and losses around the perimeter of the drawing. Margins are wide and the image area is clean and intact. Scattered light soiling and toning, all consistent with age. A dramatic image by a highly skilled draftsman, this works is likely a life study of the Hellenistic sculptural masterpiece of the same title, which is housed in the Uffizi's collection of ancient statues...