Giovanni Battista Gaulli, called il Baciccio, Italian 1639-1709- Two female...

Giovanni Battista Gaulli, called il Baciccio,
Italian 1639-1709-

Two female allegorical figures;

black chalk, pen, brown ink and brown wash on laid paper, 16.1 x 18.4 cm., (unframed).

Provenance:
with Hill-Stone, USA.
Private Collection.

Note:
We are grateful to Dr Francesco Petrucci for confirming the attribution of the present lot.

Characteristic of Gaulli's preparatory drawings in its emphasis on the outlines of the figures, these allegorical subjects perhaps refer to continents or nations of the world. They recall the pair of sculptures at the base of the vaulted ceiling of the Church of the Gesù in Rome, for which Gaulli provided the drawing (F. Petrucci, 'Baciccio, Giovanni Battista Gaulli 1639-1709', Rome, 2009, pp.243-247). For a comparable drawing by the artist, and of similar dimensions, see Anon. sale, Sotheby's, London, 1 July 1991, lot 8, 'Seated figures of Prudence and Fortitude'.