Standing Prophet in a Niche, Holding a Book

Inscription: Annotated in pen and brown ink on lower right with the "Resta-Somers" mark: "k. 180." Annotated in pen and brown ink on lower border of mount in the hand of Jonathan Richardson, Sr.: "Mecarino da Siena."

A fragment of early 19th-century mat that was detached from the drawing (preserved in "Object File," Department of Drawings and Prints) was annotated under drawing by William Roscoe: "Domenico Beccafumi / detto Mecarino / from the collection of Sir Joshua Reynolds / Vasari mentions two Apostles engraved in Chiaro-/ Scuro by Domenico Beccafumi, one of which was / in his own collection. Bottari assures us that / there are at least 6, and perhaps in the whole 12. / Giunti al Vas. 2.56 / I have two of the prints which were in Mr. / Barnards Coll[ectio]n. This Drawing is the design for a / third, but I have never seen an engraving of it. / W. R." Below this, the fragment of this mat is also annotated in faded red ink: "Lit 92." [sic: "Lot 92"].

According to a note in the file, the lengthy inscription was erroneously identified as Rosare's handwriting by Hugh Macandrew, November 1975. However, it is without doubt that the initials "W.R." correspond to William Roscoe, Esq., in whose collection the drawing was in the early 19th century, and this also Roscoe's handwriting. See further "Catalogue of the genuine and Entire Collection of Drawings and Pictures, The Property of William Roscoe Esq., which will be sold by auction by Mr. Winstanley at his rooms in Marble Street, Liverpool, on Monday 23rd September, and five following days...," Liverpool, 1816, p. 22, no. 22.

(Carmen C. Bambach, revised August 13, 2013)

Marking: Stamped at lower right with the collector's mark of Sir Joshua Reynolds (Lugt 2364).

Padre Sebastiano Resta (Italian), annotated with Resta-Somers mark (as Domenico Beccafumi); Monsignor Giovanni Mattei Marchetti (Italian); Cavaliere Marchetti of Pistoia; John Somers, Baron Somers; Jonathan Richardson Sr. (British); Sir Joshua Reynolds (British); William Roscoe (British); his sale, Thomas Winstanley, Liverpool, September 23–28, 1816, lot 92(as Beccafumi; £1 to Yates); Joseph Brooks Yates (British)

Milwaukee Art Museum. "Renaissance into Baroque: Italian Master Drawings by the Zuccari, 1550-1600," November 17, 1989–January 14, 1990.

National Academy Museum. "Renaissance into Baroque: Italian Master Drawings by the Zuccari, 1550-1600," March 13, 1990–April 29, 1990.

British Library, John Somers, Baron Somers (not author) Lansdowne Manuscript 802: "Father Resta's Remarks on the Drawings..." [unpublished manuscript; inventory of Somers Collection, Before Resta albums disass.]. 1711-1713, cat. no. k. 180.

John Gere Taddeo Zuccaro: His Development Studied in his Drawings. London, 1969, pp. 176, 179.

Richard Harprath Italienische Zeichnungen des 16. Jahrhunderts aus eigenem Besitz Exh. cat., Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Munich. Munich, 1977, cat. no. 124, pp. 174-175.

Jacob Bean, Lawrence Turčić 15th and 16th Century Italian Drawings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1982, cat. no. 281, fig. no. 281, p. 279, ill.

James Mundy, Elizabeth Ourusoff De Fernandez-Gimenez Renaissance into Baroque: Italian Master Drawings by the Zuccari, 1550 - 1600 Exh. cat., Milwaukee Art Museum (November 17, 1989 - January 14, 1990), and National Academy of Design, New York (March 13 - April 29, 1990). Milwaukee., 1989, pp. 102-3, no. 21, ill.