129 - Belisario Corenzio (c. 1560, Achaia – Naples, c. 1643), The Slave Trade in a Harbor.

Belisario Corenzio (c. 1560, Achaia – Naples, c. 1643), The Slave Trade in a Harbor. Brown ink, partially washed, on handmade paper, mounted on handmade paper and in a mat. Approx. 19.5 x 26.5 cm. This drawing was identified by Mina Gregori and Walther Vitzthum. Vitzthum classified it as part of a series of depictions related to the history of Don Juan d’Austria, other sheets of which are held in the Courtauld Galleries, the John Witt Collection, the Sir Anthony Blunt Collection, and the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid. Vitzthum points to the influence of the late Florentine Cinquecento, which is particularly evident in the drawings of the Don Juan d’Austria series (Vitzthum 1961, p. 313). Characteristic of Corenzio’s style is the distinct contouring of the figures combined with a certain linearity in the interior rendering, which is achieved through relatively broad brush hatching that pays no heed to the interior modeling. Bibliography: Vitzthum, Walther, “Neapolitan Seicento Drawings in Florida,” in: Burlington Magazine, 103, 1961, pp. 313–317, fig. 22; Ibid., *The Anthony Blunt Collection. Exhibition Catalogue 1964*, in: *Master Drawings* 3, 1965, pp. 405–407; Galerie Siegfried Billesberger, Moosinning, *Watercolors, Drawings, and Prints. 1500–1900, Cat. 1990, No. 15, with ill. on p. 31. Exhibition: Hand Drawings by Old Masters from Swiss Private Collections, Kunsthaus Zürich, Oct. 21, 1967–Dec. 16, 1967, and Kunsthalle Bremen, Apr. 16, 1967–May 21, 1967; Zurich 1967, cat. no. 92. Provenance: On the reverse of the mount, an unidentified collector’s stamp “P” (Lugt 2059); Collection of Prof. J. Isaacs, London; Collection of Kurt Meissner (1909–2004), Zurich, stamped on the front of the pedestal (Lugt 4666); Siegfried Billesberger Gallery, Moosinning; Private collection, Southern Germany. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).