BARTOLOMEO BISCAINO
1632-1657
6 Mystic Marriage of Saint
Catherine
Red chalk and white gouache heightening on tan paper;
H: 28.9 cm (nVsin.); W: 39.9 cm (i5II/i6in.)
86.GB. 6
MARKS AND INSCRIPTIONS: (Recto) at bottom right,
inscribed Biscaino di Geneva in brown ink; (verso) on
mount, inscribed E, S. L. n^0 :6$ in brown ink.
PROVENANCE: Sagredo collection(?), Venice; de Bois-
sieu collection, Lyons; private collection, New York; art
market, New York.
EXHIBITIONS: None.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: None.
THIS IS A CHARACTERISTIC EXAMPLE OF THE ANIMATED
draughtsmanship of Biscaino, achieved with elaborate,
flowing outlines, broad patches of light and shade, and
expressive gestures, especially in the hands. The drawing
shares these qualities and certain specific details, such as
the cropping of the figures, with his study (Berlin, Kup-
ferstichkabinett inv. KDZ 18309) for a print, the Holy Fam-
ily. The more finished character of the Getty drawing
may be compared with a sheet showing the vision of
Saint Augustine in the Louvre (inv. 9191). Although the
former shares many qualities with preparatory studies
for prints by Biscaino, no resulting print is known. It
may have been made as an independent work, compa-
rable in this respect to the colored drawings of his Gen-
oese contemporary Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione.3 O ITALIAN SCHOOL • BISCAINO