Sir Peter Lely (L.2092)
Richard Cosway (L.628)
Dr. Michel Gaud
Sold: Sotheby's, Monaco, June 20, 1987, lot 76
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Window mounted. Minor tears and abrasions at extreme edges, especially on right. Some abrasion bottom centre. Light surface dirt throughout. Sold in a carved and gilded frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Paolo Farinati, a Mannerist painter, engraver and architect, was mainly active in his home town of Verona.  He was strongly influenced by his younger contemporary, Paolo Veronese, and also by Parmigianino.  Farinati produced a large number of drawings throughout his career and indeed it is through his drawings that he is most widely recognised and known.

The present sheet is a powerful example of his work in his preferred medium of pen and ink and brown wash; rarely do we see an abundance of color in Farinati's drawings as he placed more importance on line and tended to restrict his palette to grays and ♛browns. 

Terence Mullaly considers this a late drawing and suggests it was probably intended for a fresco decoration in a villa or palace. Farinati painted the same subject in a frieze in the Palazzo Giuliarli, Verona, circa 1573. (Diana deGrazia Bohlin, ‘Paolo Farinati in the Palazzo Giuliarli: Frescoes and Preparatory Drawings,’ Master Drawings, vol. XX, no. 4, p. 356, fig. 14).  Farinati’s signature of a snail, seen in the lower center of this sheet, often appears in his paintings but🏅 less frequently in his drawings.