VERONESE OR HIS WORKSHOP
54 Studies of Armor
Black chalk, brown wash, and white gouache height-
ening; H: 21. i cm (8^5 /i6in.); W: 20.5 cm ( 8 Vie in.)
84.06.33
MARKS AND INSCRIPTIONS: (Recto) at bottom left cor-
ner, inscribed Paulo in brown ink by a later hand; on
mount, at top left, inscribed SPN°\HS in brown ink;
(verso) inscribed Paulo Veronese in brown ink; on mount,
inscribed SPN\5j in brown ink.
PROVENANCE: Sagredo collection(?), Venice; private col-
lection, France (sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, February 15,
1984 , lot 140).
EXHIBITIONS: None.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: None.THIS UNPUBLISHED SHEET COMES FROM THE SAME
collection as ten Veronese drawings recently acquired by
the Louvre.^1 Until Bacou's publication, only one armor
study by Veronese had found general acceptance, the
masterful wash drawing in the Kupferstichkabinett, Ber-
lin (inv. Kdz 5I20).^2 Like the drawing in Berlin, the Mu-
seum's study does not match any of the men in armor
painted by Veronese either as portraits or as figures
within larger compositions. However, it should be noted
that the brilliant white highlights on the front of the ar-
mor in the Museum's sheet are closely analogous t o cor-
responding passages in the Contarini portrait in the
Johnson Collection, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and
the Barbarigo portrait in the Cleveland Museum of Art.^3
In addition, as on the Berlin sheet, the armor was not
conceived as a still-life form, but as if it contained an oc-
cupant gesturing with his right hand. The Museum's
drawing differs from the Berlin and Louvre sheets (inv.
RF 38934)* in that while the latter were undoubtedly
drawn from specific suits of armor, the former was based
on memory. This is why various details, such as the mul-
tiple scroll pattern on the left arm and shoulder, appear
on only one side of the armor.^5
The manner of rendering the shoulders and arms is
comparable to that found in a study of a woman in the
Louvre,^6 both in the rather broad, suggestive modeling
and in the sharper, darker chalk lines used for emphasis.
Similarly, the more softly indicated center and lower sec-
tions of the armor occur again in the Louvre armor
study.^7 Further support for the attribution to Veronese is
given by the early attribution to him inscribed on the
drawing by an early and usually reliable collector, prob-
ably a member of the Sagredo family. On the other hand,
some degree of uncertainty is appropriate on account of
the dearth of comparative material.1. R. Bacou, "Ten Unpublished Drawings by Veronese Re-
cently Acquired by the Cabinet des Dessins du Louvre," Master
Drawings 21, no. 3 (1983), pp. 255-262.
2. Ibid.; R. Cocke, Veronese's Drawings—A Catalogue Raisonne
(London, 1984), no. 51.- T. Pignatti, Veronese (Venice, 1976), nos. 108 , 172.
- Bacou (note i), no. 5.
5. The armor is considered north Italian of circa 1560 by
A. V. B. Norman (letter to R. Cocke, May 22, 1984), who has
noted that the wash detail at the right is poorly understood. He
also has objected to the inconsistencies between the left and
right sides of the figure, which are explained here and have no
relevance in terms of attribution.
6. Bacou (note i), no. 6.
7. Ibid., no. 5.
PAOLO VERONESE (Paolo Caliari) (Italian, 1528-1588). Portrait
of Agostino Barbarigo. Oil on canvas. H: 113 cm (44^2 in.);
W: 116 cm (45 V 4 in.). Cleveland Museum of Art, Holden Col-
lection 28.16. Photo courtesy Cleveland Museum of Art.130 ITALIAN SCHOOL • VERONESE OR WORKSHOP