Beschreibung:

Callot (Jacques, Nancy 1592-1635). Tuscan Farmyard, pen and brown ink on vellum, sheet size 119 x 168 mm (4 3/4 x 6 5/8 ins), a few surface marks, sheet reinforced to verso with thin strips of paper to outer edges, traces of adhesive to the left margin verso, inscribed in a later hand in pencil 'Callot' and printed collector's mark of A. Gluenstein (Lugt 123) to centre of the sheet verso, framed and glazed (Quantity: 1) Provenance: Adolf Glüenstein (1849-1918), Hamburg (Lugt 123); Estate of Michael Jaffé (1923-1997), art historian and former director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Adolf Glüenstein began, at the age of just 18 or 19, to form a collection of drawings and watercolours by both modern and old masters, which eventually comprised 400 old master drawings and 1200 modern works. After his death part of his collection was sold by C. G. Boerner in Leipzig from 1918 onwards; several drawings from this collection are described in Boerner's list XXXVII Handzeichnungen alter Meister des XV. bis XVIII. Jahrhunderts. Accompanying this drawing is a photograph of Chatsworth Drawing Album 20 (Callot, number 362) attributed to Francois Collignon after Callot of the same subject, bearing an inscription to lower left 'J. Calot inven et fe' (not in Callot's hand). The photograph is accompanied by a sheet of printed notes on the Collignon drawing by Michael Jaffé in red ink. His comment reads: 'the finely drawn original, presumably intended as a finished model for an etching or engraving, was offered at Christie's, London sale 15 December 1992 (162, as circle of Callot), pen and brown ink on vellum, 116 x 165 mm, inscribed 'Callot' verso, from the collection of A. Glüenstein (L. 123). The heavy penwork of the Devonshire drawing, imitating Callot's finer and more various strokes, and missing the sprightliness and wit of his figures, indicates a less brilliant follower. The same farmyard, seen from a different angle, appears in Callot's etching La Fattoria (Lieure, no. 219). The original model was recognised as such by the compiler before the sale. It was now in an English private collection. Callot's inventions of the finest execution were drawn on vellum rather than white paper for luxurious effect, e. g. also the Distant view of Toul, with the arms of Porcellets and Designs for the festival floats and participants for 'La Guerra d'Amore'. A further pen, brown ink and brown wash drawing on laid paper was offered at auction by Dorotheum, Vienna, Master Drawings, 10 April 2019. lot 103, which the auction house suggested could be by an Italian artist from the circle of Remigio Cantagallina executed after an original composition by Callot. Literature: For the similar work attributed to Collignon at Chatsworth, see Michael Jaffé, The Devonshire Collection of Northern European Drawings, Umberto Allemandi, 2002, Volume V (French Artists), number 1665.