M. Legros; given by him to Pierre Crozat, Paris (1665-1740); his estate sale, Mariette (Paris), 10 April - 13 May 1741, either lot 260 or 261 (both lots comprising 18 sheets by Baglione, Strada and Vecchi); if lot 260, purchased there by Agor (?) (17.15 francs for the lot), if lot 261, purchased there by François Joullain, Paris (1697-1778) (18 francs for the lot); possibly Charles-François de Calvière (1693-1777); possibly his estate sale, Joullain (Paris), 5-20 May 1779, lot 101 (7 drawings, 5 by Baglione); possibly purchased there via Joullain (Paris) by Charles Paul Jean-Baptiste Bourgevin Vialart de Saint-Morys, Paris, (1743-1795), L.3620, dispersed before 1793; anonymous sale, Christie's (London), 21 April 1950, lot 137; purchased there by Colnaghi (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), 16 May 1950, for £5; Witt Bequest 1952 Catherine Loisel suggested (in 2015?) that the inscriptions were the hand of Saint-Morys, L.3620. Bernadette Py in her 2015 online report on Crozat's 1741 catalogue identified them rather as in the hand of de Calviere. Other drawings at the Louvre with the same inscriptions and/or described by Py as annotated by de Calviere are listed on the Louvre website as belonging to Saint-Morys, and usually also to de Calviere (INV 13926, INV 20259, INV 8340). According to Lugt a number of Saint-Mory's sheets were acquired from de Calviere's 1779 sale, though in the annotated copy available on Brill, Saint-Morys does not appear anywhere as a buyer. As this particular lot was purchased by the same auction house that was holding the sale, perhaps they purchased it on behalf of Saint-Morys. Another drawing in Vienna has a similar inscription in Crozat's hand, which says 'M. Le Gros ma envoyer de Rome ce dessein en 1719' (Albertina, inv. 11513).

Py, Bernadette, Les dessins italiens de Pierre Crozat (1665-1740). L'oeil de Mariette, http://mini-site.louvre.fr/trimestriel/2015/Catalogue_Crozat
p. 169

O'Neil, Maryvelma Smith, Giovanni Baglione: Artistic reputation in Baroque Rome, Cambridge 2002
Appendix 3, no. 46

Macandrew, Hugh, Catalogue of the collection of drawings in the Ashmolean Museum, Italian schools: supplement, Vol. III, Oxford 1980
p. 93

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower centre, brown ink, Crozat's hand, according to Bernadette Py's Crozat catalogue online: "Cavalier Baglione ma este donne par Mr. Legros."; lower right corner, brown ink, Catherine Loisel suggested the hand of St Morys but Bernadette Py published as hand of Calviere: "F" and "croizat". Verso (obscured by mount, only visible via transmitted light): printed in black: "aliter nec sperare [...] devinctum iuisque obseq[...] / Aula Advocat / D ABBAT [...]" (no matching publication found online). Mount (historic), Recto: lower left and right, brown ink, either hand of Saint Morys or de Calviere: "Giovane Baglionni Cavaliere Ecole Romaine" and below that at left in brown ink "e' collectione. D.D. croizat.~". Mount (historic), Verso: upper centre edge, brown ink: "St. pierre prechant aux gentils. Deux femmes viennent Lui demander le baptee / a La plume Lave' en bistre."; centre, graphite, cursive: "2"; lower centre, graphite, Colnaghi number and price: "A 17416 / c/c/-".

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