Italian school, 18th century
Portrait of Bernardo Davanzato Bostichi, after Cristofano Allori
Black chalk, stumping, white chalk heightenings.
335 x 208 mm – 13,19 x 8,19 in.
This drawing is a beautiful 18th-century study after the portrait of Bernardo Davanzati Bostichi painted around 1605 by Cristofano Allori and nowadays in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
A cultivated Florentine scholar, Bernardo Davanzati Bostichi translated Dante and Tacite, but he was also a shrewd businessman who had lived in Lyon in his youth. In 1754 the book publisher Giuseppe Comino issued a new release of his complete writings in Padova. His portrait by Cristofano Allori was then used for the frontispiece illustration. This drawing was probably made on the occasion of the revival of Bostichi’s popularity.
Condition report – Good condition. Laid down on old paper. Small foldings from the laying down at the top and bottom right. Small tear at the lower left. Traces of an old mount around the edge.
