P 1 : KsF
0521551331 c 01 CUNY 160 /Joannides 052155 133 1 January 10 , 2007 22 : 22
CATALOGUES 6–7 WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY AUTOGRAPH SHEETS 83cavalrymen; the other” [Cat. 5 ].). Ottley (his sale, 6 June
1814 , etc., lot 1681 , “one – a man on horseback defending
himself – fine pen – intended perhaps for the cartoon of
Pisa; – another horse in black chalk – from the Buonarroti
collection – most spirited” £ 5. 10. 0 .). Lawrence Inven-
tory, 1830 ,M.A.Buonaroti, Case 3 , Drawer 3 [ 1830 - 112 ]
(“Sketches for theBattle of the Standard”?.). Woodburn,
184 2,no. 67 (“Study of Horses etc. – for the Horse in
the great Fresco in the Sistine Chapel [sic] of theConver-
sion of Saint. Paul.”). Woodburn,184 6,no. 18 (As184 2.).
Robinson,187 0,no. 17 (Michel Angelo. “The charging
horseman is apparently one of the Pisan soldiers attacking
the bathing Florentines. The stumbling horse is very sim-
ilar to the horse in [Cat. 4 ]but it is turned in the contrary
direction.”). Black, 1875 ,p. 213 ,no. 17. Gotti, 1875 , II,
p. 226. Berenson, 1903 ,I,p. 178 ,no.155 7([D] prob-
ably forCascina; the “scrawls in black chalk...do not
seem to be Michelangelo’s.”). Thode, 1908 ,I,p. 101
(ForCascina.). K. Frey, 1909 – 11 ,no. 142 ([D] authen-
tic forCascina, perhaps linked with W 3 recto/Corpus 36 ;
[F and H] doubtful; [A and E] by another hand; inscrip-
tions not autograph.). Thode, 1913 ,no. 401 (ForCascina;
all four sketches authentic. The fallen horse re-used later
in the BMFall of Phaetondrawing/W 55 /Corpus34 0.).
Baumgart, 1937 ,p. 31 (Not by Michelangelo; school of
Leonardo.). Berenson, 1938 ,no.155 7(As 1903 .). Wilde,
1953 a,p. 8 ([Cat. 6 ]isa“variant of the left-hand rider”
in BM W 3 /Corpus 36. Also contains a sketch in lead
point, now hardly visible, for one of the bathers.). Wilde,
1953 exh., no. 5 ( 1503 – 4 ,probably forCascina.). Parker,
1956 ,no. 295 (Drawing raises some difficult points. That
two riders are tilting at one another argues against a con-
nection withCascina,inwhich the combat was of cav-
alrymen against foot soldiers. The black chalk study of a
horse, which is probably not by Michelangelo, should be
seen with the top edge as base in which it becomes clear
that the hatching is left handed and perhaps by Montelupo
imitating a horse in Michelangleo’sFall of Phaeton. But the
pen sketch is superior to Montelupo’s work.). Dussler,
1959 ,no. 603 (Rejected. Chalk sketches came first.).
Berenson, 1961 ,no.155 7 (As 1903 / 1938 .). Barocchi,
1962 ,p. 316 (Type of horse reflected in Uffizi 605 E
verso/B 269 [given by Hirst, 1961 ,p. 239 ,toSalviati].).
Hartt, 1971 ,no. 34 (15 0 4;probably “intended for the
scene at the upper left of the final composition” of
Cascina;Dfor “the figure climbing out of the water”
in the Holkham panel.). Gere and Turner, 1975 ,no. 5
(“Probably connected with...Cascina”; Parker’s view of
chalk studies cited.). De Tolnay, 1975 , Corpus I, no. 39
(Michelangelo, forCascina. Inscriptions in Michelan-
gelo’s handwriting, c.15 0 4– 5 .). Sisi, 1988 ,no. 44 .(For
Cascina.).CATALOGUE 7Recto: The Torso of a Bending Figure, Seen from the
Back
Ve r so: A Groom? Assisting a Cavalryman to Mount His
Horse
184 6. 42 ;R. 19 ;P.II 296 ; Corpus 41
Dimensions: 262 × 173 mm, torn diagonally and made up
substantially at the upper left and lower rightWatermark: Roberts Cross B; not recorded in Briquet
(this watermark is found also on Cat. 6 ).Medium
Recto: Pen and ink over black chalk, perhaps modified
in black chalk.
Ve r so: Black chalk over traces of stylus indentation.Condition
There are many nicks and some tears on the edges, plus a
small hole and major historic toned infills. The sheet has
inherent creasing and other horizontal pressed-out folds
with ingrained dirt, running into the image. The paper is
fractured in the areas of heavier ink application. There is
discolouration, local staining, and fibrous accretion; tissue
repairs are visible on the verso. There is severe show-
through to the verso of ink from the recto.Inscriptions
Ve r so: Upper left:de micaelangno/e(?) and, belowcliii?
Upper right:Michaelangilo/2.3on a made-up sectionDiscussion
The verso drawing, certainly the original recto, in soft
black chalk, Michelangelo’s characteristic technique at
this period for the initial establishment of figures and
groups, was no doubt made before the recto. It shows
a man helping another to mount a horse and exemplifies
Michelangelo’s capacity to turn a minor anecdotal detail
into a profound statement about endeavour and assistance.
It is probable that this was one of the episodes in theBattle
of Cascina,but the fact that both figures are nude does not
prove the link because they might simply be studied in
the nude for subsequent draping.
Between this chalk drawing and the recto study, where
the back, shoulders, and buttocks of the supporting figure
are studied in detail, would have intervened a drawing
in the Casa Buonarroti ( 9 F/B 5 /Corpus 40 ; pen and ink
over black chalk, 284 × 210 mm), where the structure of
this form, in the same pose, is analysed in rapidly penned
outline, close to an ́ecorch ́e mode. It is possible that CB 9 F
and the present sheet might once have been one.