A closely related drawing of nearly the same dimensions by Luca Penni has only recently been discovered and is now at the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. no. 2014.264). Penni's composition borrows various ideas and elements from Dürer's woodcuts for the Large and Small Passions, which in turn are inspired by Mantegna's engraving of the same subject.
Catherine Jenkins records a total of eight impressions in public collections, including two examples at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, with the same watermark. She believes that this paper was not used at Fontainebleau and that these impressions where printed elsewhere, presumably in the 1550s.
We are grateful to Catherine Jenkins, London, for her help in cataloguing this lot.
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Condition report
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The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.
In addition to the catalogue description: - trimmed to or just inside the platemark. - a flattened diagonal fold from the lower right to upper left, slightly rubbed recto. - a horizontal and vertical central fold, flattened and mostly visible verso. - some creases in the upper loft corner. - a tiny un-inked spot in Christ's lower drapery, another near the left sheet edge at centre. - some very minor foxmarks and stains visible verso. Otherwise as described and in very good condition.
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Lot 9Sale 20187
Christ descending into LimboLEON DAVENT (ACTIVE 1540-1556) AFTER LUCA PENNI (CIRCA 1500/04 - 1577)Estimate: GBP 3,000 - 5,000
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