P 1 :JZP
0521551335 c 02 -p 4 CUNY 160 /Joannides 052155 133 1 January 11 , 2007 10 : 54
282 COPIES OF LOST OR PARTIALLY LOST DRAWINGS CATALOGUE 58
edge. There is minor surface abrasion near the edges and
various infills, particuarly at the corners.
Verso: Overall surface dirt and various localised staining.
Description
This sheet is made up of two sheets of off-white hand-
made lightweight laid paper laminated together. The
chain lines of the recto sheet run vertically; those of the
versosheet run horizontally. A watermark is visible at
the lower right of a cross above the linked monogram
IHSbelow which are initials, I R on a smaller scale. This
watermark, which is on the verso sheet (i.e., that bearing
the red chalk drawing) seems to be a later version of one
recorded by Briquet, no. 9461 ,inReggio-Emilia, 1522.
This state of affairs presents various problems, for the
(most probable) interpretation of which the compiler is
much indebted to Drs. Catherine Whistler and Julian
Brooks. It may be best to introduce these problems by cit-
ing Robinson: “The study on the verso was hidden from
view by a backing paper, pasted over it but brought to
light by the writer on the occasion of his examination for
the present Catalogue.” Joseph Fisher’s drawn copy of this
redchalk drawing, included in his extra-illustrated copy of
Robinson’s catalogue preserved in the Ashmolean’s Print
Room, shows the figure, which Robinson thought of as
Narcissus, in reverse to its real direction. Robinson clearly
did not realise that what he took to be a single sheet, with
apen drawing on the recto and a red chalk drawing on
the verso, was in reality made up of a laminate of two
verythin sheets; he thought he could see the red chalk
drawing of a figure directly, but he was in fact seeing it in
reverse, by transparency, through the back of the second
sheet. Thus, at some time, the first “original” sheet with
the pen drawing was strengthened by another sheet bear-
ing a red chalk drawing. Incomprehensibly, this second
sheet was attached to the first not by its blank side but
bythat which had already been drawn upon. Thus, the
redchalk image appeared reversed because it could only
be seen from the verso of the now laminated sheet. Sub-
sequently, this side must have been backed by an opaque
or semi-opaque mount. This mount was no doubt that
removed by Robinson to reveal what he took to be a new
drawing by the young Michelangelo.
On this verso, Robinson seems to have inscribed, in
graphite as was his custom, the number that the sheet
wastotake in his catalogue, 3 ,and his too is probably –
butnot certainly–afurther inscription, also in graphite,
Michelangiolo?/l’Antico.This numbering and inscription
remains visible, but only by transmitted light, since they
are on the verso of the backing sheet, which is now