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Saint Cecilia with two putti (recto)

Maker

(artist)
1503-1540

Title

Date of Production

(circa) 1523 - 1524

Medium

traces of black chalk, pen and brown ink and brown wash on laid paper partially prepared with a red chalk wash (recto), traces of black chalk, pen and brown ink on laid paper partially prepared with a red chalk wash (verso), all four corners cut

Dimensions

Height: 8.5 cm
Width: 6.7 cm

Accession Number

D.1978.PG.362

Mode of Acquisition

Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

The undefined object seen at the left of this small sketch has led to differing interpretations of its subject matter. It is most often read as an organ, an attribute typically associated with Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The loose handling of the pen and ink suggests Parmigianino may have sketched this work during his time in Parma, prior to moving to Rome in 1524. It numbers among a group of drawings that he executed on paper tinted with a pink-red watercolour.

Provenance

John Skippe (1741-1812); presumably acquired by him in Italy between 1773 and 1781; presumably by descent to his sister, Penelope Martin; by descent to her son, James Martin; by descent to Edward Holland (d. 1916); by descent to his sister, Mrs J. Rayner-Wood; by descent to Edward Holland-Martin; his sale, Christie's (London), 20-21 November 1958, lot 144; purchased there by Colnaghi (London) on behalf of Count Antoine Seilern, London (1901-1978) (£178.10; Seilern's receipt shows a second drawing was included in the price - 'Studies of the heads of two old men' - unclear which drawing that might be); Princes Gate Bequest 1978

Exhibition History

Drawings Gallery Display - The Art of Experiment: Parmigianino at The Courtauld, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 03/05/2022-06/05/2022

Parmigianino - Paintings, Drawings, Prints, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/05/1987-12/07/1987

Literature

The Art of Experiment: Parmigianino at The Courtauld, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 2022
cat. no. 11
and on pp. 18-19, 99
ill. on pp. 84 (recto), 85 (verso), detail fig. 86 on p. 172

Gnann, Achim, Parmigianino: Die Zeichnungen, Petersberg 2007
vol. II, no. 107
ill. (recto and verso)
unsure about date

Béguin,Sylvie, Mario Di Giampaolo and Mary Vaccaro, Parmigianino: the drawings, Turin 2000
no. 32 ...More

Ekserdjian, David, 'Unpublished drawings by Parmigianino: towards a supplement to Popham's catalogue raisonné' in 'Apollo', 1 Aug. 1999 - pp. 3-41; 150, 450
no. 49 (verso)
fig. 64 on p. 28 (verso)

Parmigianino - Paintings, Drawings, Prints, Courtauld, London, 1987
cat. no. 14

Popham, A. E., Catalogue of the Drawings of Parmigianino, New Haven and London 1971
no. 772
pl. 255
dated to either Roman or Bolognese period

Ghidiglia Quintavalle, Augusta, Gli ultimi affreschi del Parmigianino, Milan 1971
p. 183, no. 12

Seilern, Count Antoine, Italian paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London SW7. Addenda, London 1969; V
no. 362
pl. XLIII(b)
dated c. 1527-27

Christie's. Catalogue of the Well-Known Collection of Old Master Drawings Principaly of the Italian School formed in the 18th Century by John Skippe (1958) ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none in the drawing sheet. Former support (removed in 1987, now in object file): the conservator who removed this backing in 1987, William Clarke, wrote on the conservation report that the drawing was laid down on pasteboard of Whatman paper dated 1801. The backing sheet in the file is just laid paper with a fragment of a watermark at the upper centre edge, a “V” though could be half of a “W” for “Whatman”. Certainly a date of 1801 is not present – the pasteboard must have been thrown out.

Collector's mark: none.

Inscription: Former support (removed in 1987 and now in object file), Recto: lower centre, graphite, modern hand: “Parmegiano”.

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