Veronese

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Veronese

1528-1588

Studies for the Finding of Moses

ca. 1580

Pen and brown ink and wash, on laid paper.

6 3/4 x 7 3/8 inches (171 x 186 mm)

Purchased by Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) in 1909.

IV, 81

Notes:

Watermark: barely visible due to thickness of backing.
In his later drawings, Veronese typically used wash to highlight and further elaborate preferred solutions from among his often-overlapping ideas. What is interesting, though, is that there is no single resolution to his studies here for the Finding of Moses. Veronese and his workshop produced many versions of the subject, and this sheet includes figure studies of Pharaoh's daughter and her maids that relate to at least three paintings: some are for the Finding of Moses painting in the National Gallery of Art, while others connect to the version in the Museo del Prado, and still others to a lost painting known from copies. This tendency to reuse existing drawings is typical of many Venetian workshops. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawing in Tintoretto's Venice"

Inscription:

Inscribed on verso of old mount, at lower center, in graphite, "4".

Provenance:

Thomas Hudson, London (1701-1779; Lugt 2432); Sir Joshua Reynolds, London (1723-1792; Lugt 2364); Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford, London and Packington Old Hall, Warwickshire (1786-1859; Lugt 58); possibly Sir James Knowles (1831-1908), London; possibly his sale, Christie's, London, 27 May 1908, lot 187; Charles Fairfax Murray (1849-1919), London and Florence; from whom purchased through Galerie Alexandre Imbert, Rome, in 1909 by Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), New York (no mark; see Lugt 1509); his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867-1943), New York.

Associated names:

Hudson, Thomas, 1701-1779, former owner.
Reynolds, Joshua, Sir, 1723-1792, former owner.
Aylesford, Heneage Finch, Earl of, 1786-1859, former owner.
Knowles, James, Sir, 1831-1908, former owner.
Murray, Charles Fairfax, 1849-1919, former owner.
Morgan, John Pierpont, 1837-1913, former owner.
Morgan, J. P. (John Pierpont), 1867-1943, former owner.

Bibliography:

Rhoda Eitel-Porter and and John Marciari, Italian Renaissance Drawings at the Morgan Library & Museum, New York, 2019, no. 70.
John Marciari, Drawing in Tintoretto's Venice, New York, 2018, no. 12, fig. 19, repr.
Selected references: Caliari 1888, 95; Fairfax Murray 1905-12, 4: no. 81; Borenius 1921, 59; Hadeln 1926, 27; Osmond 1927, 100; Fiocco 1928, no. 2; Toledo 1940, no. 57; Tietze and Tietze-Conrat 1944, no. 2121; Oehler 1953, 31; Hartford 1960, no. 70; Toronto 1960, no. 48; Ames 1962, no. 233; New York 1965-66, no. 126; Poughkeepsie 1968, no. 27; Norman 1975, 3; Pignatti 1976, 1: under no. 240; Morris and Hopkinson 1977, 218; London 1978, 69; Meder 1978, 123; New York 1981, no. 26; Coutts 1982, 230; Sutton 1982, 381; London 1983-84, under no. D81; Cocke 1984, no. 103; Coutts 1985-86, no. 103; Venice 1988, under no. 62; Washington 1988a, no. 73; Pignatti and Pedrocco 1995, 2: nos. 282-83; Venice 1999, no. 202; De Fuccia 2005, 44-55; New York 2006, no. 18; Munich 2008-9, no. 18; Udine 2012, no. 6; Verona 2014, no. 5.10; New York and Washington 2018-19, 42, 182, 187-88, no. 12; Dunn and Marciari 2019.
Collection J. Pierpont Morgan : Drawings by the Old Masters Formed by C. Fairfax Murray. London : Privately printed, 1905-1912, IV, 81, repr.
Stampfle, Felice, and Jacob Bean. Drawings from New York collections. I: The Italian Renaissance. New York : Metropolitan Museum of Art : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1965, p. 72, 126.
Denison, Cara D., and Helen B. Mules, with the assistance of Jane V. Shoaf. European Drawings, 1375-1825. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1981, p. 52, 26, repr.
From Leonardo to Pollock: Master drawings from the Morgan Library. New York: Morgan Library, 2006, cat. no. 18, p. 42-43.
100 Master drawings from the Morgan Library & Museum. München : Hirmer, 2008, no. 18, repr. [Laura B. Zukerman]

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