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Studies of the Galli Statue and of an Ignudo

c. 1510 - 1520

$300,911.59
£218,909.87
€250,000
CA$410,657.95
A$457,304.66
CHF 238,001.81
MX$5,638,511.37
NOK 3,031,135.06
SEK 2,848,973.11
DKK 1,902,616.41
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About the Item

Workshop of Michelangelo, possibly Piero d’Argenta (active c. 1497–1530) Studies of the Galli Statue and of an Ignudo Pen and brown ink on laid paper 19.1 × 13 cm Executed c. 1510–1520 Unsigned This remarkable double-sided sheet offers two distinct insights into the creative universe of Michelangelo and his close circle. The recto presents four studies—front, back, and partial views—of a now-fragmentary marble statue traditionally identified as Cupid, long attributed to Michelangelo and rediscovered in New York in the late 20th century. The verso bears a study after a lost drawing by Michelangelo for one of the Ignudi that frame the Erythraean Sibyl on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Both sides of the drawing were studied and published by Professor Paul Joannides, who identified the hand as that of an unnamed collaborator of Michelangelo, working circa 1510–1520. In light of comparative evidence, Joannides has since suggested an attribution to Piero d’Argenta, Michelangelo’s early assistant and one of the very few artists documented to have had direct access to both his sculptural and graphic oeuvre. Joannides underscores the importance of this sheet in reconstructing the appearance of the now-damaged Galli Cupid, as described in 1556 by Plinio Aldrovandi as “a full-length nude Apollo with his quiver and arrows at his side, and a vase at his feet.” The drawing not only helps visualize the sculpture in its original integrity but also demonstrates an exceptional proximity to Michelangelo’s working methods—on both a sculptural and graphic level. This work stands as a rare and precious testimony to the diffusion and survival of Michelangelo’s designs through his immediate followers. It exemplifies the way his visual language was studied, absorbed, and reinterpreted in the early decades of the 16th century. Expertise: The drawing has been examined and endorsed by Professor Paul Joannides. A complete scholarly report is available upon request. Provenance: Christie’s, Paris, 21 March 2002, lot 122A (as “Florentine school, early 16th century”) Private collection, France Literature: Paul Joannides, Michelangelo and his Influence, 2003, pp. 579–580, figs. 34 and 37 Nicholas Turner, And There Was Light, 2010, pp. 218–219 Carmen C. Bambach, Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman & Designer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, fig. 118
  • Creation Year:
    c. 1510 - 1520
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 7.52 in (19.1 cm)Width: 5.12 in (13 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Circle Of:
    Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564, Italian)
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Paris, FR
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2258216569902

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