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Literacy unlocking the door to learning (formerly 'Wisdom opening the door of knowledge')

Maker

(artist)
1500-1599

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1627-1685

Title

Literacy unlocking the door to learning (formerly 'Wisdom opening the door of knowledge')

Date of Production

1575 - 1600

Medium

traces of graphite, pen and brown ink, brown wash on laid paper, hinged at left edge to a historic support (same as D.1952.RW.167)

Dimensions

Height: 8.8 cm
Width: 6 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.166

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords








Provenance

Sir William Stirling Maxwell, London (1818-1878); by descent to his son, Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Glasgow (1866-1956); his sale, Sotheby's (London), 15 - 16 February 1921, lot 249; presumably purchased there by E. Parsons & Sons (London); their sale, cat. 38, 1921, lot 391 (possibly with D.1952.RW.165 and 167); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt (1875-1952) (16 shillings); Witt Bequest 1952

Literature

Véliz, Zahira, Spanish Drawings in the Courtauld Gallery: complete catalogue, London, 2011
no. 10
Illus. p. 72

Inscriptions

Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: all within the drawing, brown ink, artist’s hand: above the door: “scientiarum / Domus”; upper right in cloud: “IHS”; on Literacy’s belt: “ABCDE”. Verso: lower centre edge, remnant of an inscription, now cut off so that only ascenders of letters visible. Support (historic), Recto: right lower edge and again at lower left, graphite, Witt number: “166”; lower right corner, graphite: “J. Herrera”. Support (historic), Verso: upper left corner, graphite: “26”.

Collector's mark: none.

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