MATTIA PRETI (Taverna 1613-1699 Valletta) King David

MATTIA PRETI
(Taverna 1613-1699 Valletta)
King David with his Harp.
Red chalk on brown wash on cream laid paper, double-sided. 200x147 mm; 8x6 inches. With a study of a kneeling figure in red chalk, verso.Provenance: Sotheby's, London, July 6, 2005, lot 133; private collection, Massachusetts.There is another red chalk drawing by Preti of King David with his Harp, part of a coffered ceiling decoration, possibly for the same project as the current drawing, that is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession number 2002.74). Professor John T. Spike has suggested that these may both be for a now lost fresco for the Duomo di Modena.We would like to thank Professor John T. Spike for confirming the attribution of this drawing to Mattia Preti.