Lot n° 267
Estimation :
30000 - 40000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 90 160EUR
Pieter de WITTE, dit Pietro CANDIDO (Bruges 1548 - Munich 1628)
Otto von Wittelsbach storming the parade of Verona in 1555
14.4 x 24.7cm
Pen and black ink over black pencil, retouched with pen and brown ink, grey wash; tiled with red chalk
On the back, drawing taken in reverse with black pencil and grey wash by transparency, tiled with red chalk
Annotated on the back in pen and brown ink: "Louis cardi dit le Cigoli
Some stains
Our drawing is an unpublished study for one of the ten tapestries relating the life of Otto von Wittelsbach, Count Palatine of Bavaria, commissioned to Pietro Candido by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria in 1603. Pietro Candido had been a court painter in Munich since 1586, and replaced Friedrich Sustris as First Court Painter upon the latter's death in 1599. He was commissioned to depict the life of the founder of the dynasty, Otto III the Great (1117-1183). After the deposition of Henry the Lion in 1180, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa transferred the Duchy of Bavaria to him.
The episode represents the emperor ordering his standard-bearer Otto von Wittelsbach to take the Verona pass to allow the retreat of his troops, after his coronation in 1155 in Rome. Note the amusing pyramid of soldiers making short work of each other on the right of the composition.
The tapestry (Munich, Residenz) was woven in the same direction with some variations (see M. Burresi and A. Cecchi, "Pieter de Witte/Pietro Candido, Un pittore del Cinquecento tra Volterra e Monaco", Volterra, 2009, ed. Silvana Editoriale, fig.13, p.78). Preparatory drawings for the tapestries exist in both directions (see e.g. Brigitte Volk-Knittel, "Peter Candid-Zeichnungen", Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München, 1978-1979, No. 70-71, repr. fig.117-118).
There is another drawing with variants in the opposite direction (opus quoted above, No. 33, pp.162-163, repr.), as well as a detailed study for the standard bearer and a companion in arms in the same direction as our drawing (see Brigitte Volk-Knittel, "Peter Candid-Zeichnungen", Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München, 1978-1979, No. 64, fig.113). Two other drawings also in the same direction are related to the composition (opus quoted above, n°66, and Musée du Louvre, Inv 19857). The progression of the artist's research leads us to believe that our drawing is the penultimate step before the drawing transferred in the opposite direction to prepare the tapestry cardboard.
Numerous drawings for this series of tapestries are preserved in the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung (see opus quoted above, n°54 to 71, repr.), and three others in the Louvre Museum (Inv 19855 to 57). A drawing acquired by the American collector Kasper in 2002 (Christie's sale, London, July 9, 2002, no. 16, repr., acquired £215,000), was given by him to the Morgan Library in New York.
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