"L'Ortensio" was first performed on the occasion of the Duke Cosimo di Medici's first visit to Siena.
Inscribed on verso of mount, at upper center, in graphite, "Marque de la Collection Fleury Heŕard"; beneath this, "[inscription in Russian]", followed by illegible inscription in Russian; "285 (in a rectangle)"; to the right of this, in graphite, "Maître italien de la seconde moitie du XVI S"; further inscriptions, in graphite, "1156; Panini; N[superscript o]=276"; at lower right, in black chalk, "3076"; at lower left, in graphite, "[...] / XVII è / fête 20 (?)".
Watermark: Fleur-de-lis in circle.
Watermark: Fragment, on mount.
Flury-Hérard, former owner.
Benois, Alexandre, 1870-1960, former owner.
Oenslager, Donald, 1902-1975, former owner.
Piccolomini, Alessandro, 1508-1578 L'Ortensio.
Oenslager, Donald M. Four Centuries of Scenic Invention : Drawings from the Collection of Donald Oenslager. Washington, D.C. : International Exhibitions Foundation, 1974, p. 16-17, no. 4, repr.
Oenslager, Donald M. Stage design : four centuries of scenic invention. New York : Viking Press, 1975, p. 32-33, no. 5, repr.
See letters of Carlo Alberto Chiesa and Per Bjurstrom for further information regarding this sketch.