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Four studies of heads of young men

Maker

(artist)
1616-1668

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1557-1602

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1560-1609

Title

Four studies of heads of young men

Date of Production

1600 - 1699

Medium

pen and brown ink on laid paper, laid down on a blue paper support

Dimensions

Height: 21.9 cm
Width: 15.6 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.3184

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

This drawing demonstrates Castillo’s skill with his preferred medium, pen and ink. Symmetrically arranged in two rows, the heads leave space for the artist’s monogram at centre. The sheet may have served as a model for studio assistants, a bravura demonstration of the artist’s draughtsmanship, or a design for a pattern book. The bold graphic line suggests the influence of prints.

Provenance

probably acquired by Frank Hall Standish (1799-1840) in Seville, early 1630s; probably bequeathed by him to Louis Philippe, King of France (1773-1850); possibly purchased at his estate sale, Defer and Potier (Paris), 6 December 1852 by Sir William Stirling Maxwell (1818-1878); George Guy, Earl of Warwick (1818-1893); Mr. Alexander (?); purchased from him by Colnaghi (London), 13 November 1942; purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, 27 November 1942 (£12, as by Annibale Carracci); Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

The Spanish Line - From Ribera to Picasso, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 13/10/2011-15/01/2012

Antonio de Castillo (1618-1668), Fundacion Marcelino Botin, Santander, Spain, 30/04/2008-15/06/2008

The golden age of Spanish art: from El Greco to Murillo and Valdes Leal: paintings and drawings from British Collections, Nottingham University Art Gallery, 11/02/1980-29/03/1980 ...More

Spanish drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1978 (March - May)

A selection of Spanish drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1956 ...Less

Literature

Catalogue des tableaux, dessins, et gravures de la collection Standish, légués au Roi par M. F. H. Standish., Paris 1842
no. 361

A selection of Spanish drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1956
cat. no. 6

Muller, Priscilla, The drawings of Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra. PhD Thesis, New York University., Ann Arbor, Michigan 1963
pp. 135, 138 no. 143
fig. 98 ...More

Valverde Madrid, J., 'Los dibujos de Antonio del Castillo' in 'Goya', 1967
p. 23

Spanish drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1978 (March - May)
cat. no. 19

The golden age of Spanish art: from El Greco to Murillo and Valdes Leal: paintings and drawings from British Collections, Nottingham University Art Gallery, 1980
cat. no. 49

Nancarrow, Mindy and Benito Navarrete Prieto, Antonio del Castillo, Madrid 2004
p. 70
fig. 75

Dibujos Españoles en la Hispanic Society of America del Siglo de Oro a Goya, Prado, Madrid, 2006, 2006
p. 158 under no. 40
fig. 56 on p. 156

Navarrete Prieto, Benito and Fuensanta Torre de la Garcia, Antonio del Castillo, 1616-1668. Dibujos. Catálogo razonado, Santander 2008
p. 492, no. 141

Véliz, Zahira, Spanish Drawings in the Courtauld Gallery: complete catalogue, London, 2011
no. 52
ill. on p. 173 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: Recto, left centre edge, only visible in raking light, fragment: two adjacent circles (of Heawood type 249-321 - Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, English papers from mid-17th to mid-18th centuries).

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

Inscription: Recto: centre, brown ink, signed with the artist’s initials: “A.C.”. Verso (hidden under support, visible via transmitted light): lower centre, brown ink: “8 […]”.

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