PSEUDO-GHERARDI (fl. 17th Century)

STUDIES OF HEADS 
Pen & ink heightened with white on blue paper
15.5 x 25.5 cm
 
 
 
 
 
The present work bears all the hallmarks of the wonderfully idiosyncratic draughtsman called 'Pseudo-Gherardi', about whom next to nothing is known beyond a small group of drawings attributed to him. All of these contain the same combination of frenetic penmanship and distinctive heightening in white throughout, with the majority being figure and anatomical studies. We have previously handled a rare landscape study by the artist depicting the Ponte Rotto in Rome, suggesting for the first time that he was active in that city.