262 - ROMAN SCHOOL Second half of the 17th century

ROMAN SCHOOL Second half of the 17th century Portrait of a cardinal, wearing his biretta, turned slightly to his right. Black chalk, stump, and red chalk. Watermark of a young bull. Mounted on paper by the upper corners (small pinholes) H. 28.7 – W. 19.5 cm. Annotated on the reverse of the backing board in the upper right corner: “Carlo Maratta.” Comparable to the portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati Ludovisi (1608–1687), Grand Penitentiary and Dean of the College of Cardinals (1650), engraved by Giuseppe Maria Testana (1648–1679). Note: An interesting portrait of a cardinal from the Roman school of the second half of the 17th century, executed in black chalk, stump, and red chalk. The delicacy of the modeling and the treatment of the face reflect the tradition of portraiture in Baroque Rome. The old annotation in the name of Carlo Maratta, inscribed on the reverse of the support, as well as the proposed iconographic comparison with the portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati Ludovisi engraved by Giuseppe Maria Testana, are elements of interest for the study of this sheet, though they do not, on their own, confirm the attribution. The “young bull” watermark provides an additional material clue for research into the paper and its dating.