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Alexander the Great drinking his medicine (?) (recto)

Maker

Attributed to
(artist)
1496-1528

Studio of
(artist)
1483-1520

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1501-1547

Title

Date of Production

(circa) 1520s

Medium

pen and brown ink (recto and verso) on laid paper

Dimensions

Height: 21.8 cm
Width: 20.7 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.2811

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

Label Text

Even more intriguing than the historical scene depicted here is the text occupying the upper half of the sheet, which has been crossed out. The artist or another member of his workshop recorded a list of food for each day of the week, beginning with ‘Sunday evening sausage bread and salad’, and ending with ‘Monday morning bread’. It may only be a coincidence that the artist then used the other half of the sheet to draw a scene of imbibing.

Provenance

Henry Oppenheimer, London (1859-1932); his estate sale, Christie's (London), 10-14 July 1936, lot 203B; purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Drawings Gallery Display - Reading Drawings, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 21/01/2017-04/06/2017

Literature

Crack, Peter, 'A Renaissance 'Menu': Word and Image in a Sixteenth-Century Italian Drawing' in 'Immediations: The Courtauld Institue of Art Journal of Postgraduate Research', 2018 - pp. 14-28; 4, 3
pp. 14-28
ill. on pp. 1-2

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: centre: a circle, unable to see what it contains.

Inscription: Recto: upper half of sheet, brown ink, crossed out, written before the drawing below: "Domenica sera salsiza pane e salat[...] / Lunedi matina 1 case e pane / Lunedi sera 1 carne e carote […] / martedi matina 1 pane_____ / martedi sera 1 carne e olio / mercoredi matina 1 pane / mercoredi sera 1 carne e 1 Sal[...] / zobia matina 1 salsiza e carne e pa[...] / zobia a sera p cipole _____/ venare matina fa[…]a pane / e pep[…] e chastagnie _____/ venare a sera ouva alici e salata / venare a sera / sabato matina p pane / sabato a sera m[...]pane / Domenica sera pane____ / Domenico sera p olio____ / Lunedi matina pane____ //”; lower right edge, graphite: "P del Vaca". Mount (removed, see photo), Recto: lower right, graphite: “VAGA”; lower right, brown ink, crossed out in graphite: “511.”.

Collector's mark: Verso: lower left corner, stamped in black ink: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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