(Florence, active early 16th Jahrhunderts)
attributed to, Study for a Madonna and Child, Black chalk on laid paper, 19,2 x 13,5 cm, browned, somewhat stained, mounted, unframed, (Sch)

Provenance:
Private collection, Italy.

Literature:
The drawing is published and illustrated in:
Elena Capretti, "Domenico Puglio disegnator: una questione di metodo", in: "Aver disegno". Studi per Anna Forlani Tempesti, Florence 2022, pp. 74-79, fig. 4.

Domenico Beceri was active as a painter in the early 16th century, mainly in his hometown Florence. He was a pupil of Domenico Puglio (1492-1527) and stylistically strongly influenced by his teacher. Unfortunatley only few works have survived which makes the art historical appraisal of the artist and the reconstruction of his work difficult. There have been several attempts in recent years to reassess the oeuvre of the artist and his significance in the context of Florentine Reanissance painting. In this context the present drawing is very interesting, as it could have been executed in preparation for his “Pala di San Mercuriale“ in the Museo Civico di Pistoia (1539). (for the painting cf. A. Nesi, Domenico Beceri per San Mercuriale a Pistoia, „Il Tremisse Pistoiese”, XXIII, 1998, 65-66, pp. 20-23, A. Nesi “Domenico Beceri: una pala pratese e altre opere per la riscoperta di una artista del Cinquecento, “Prato”, VIII, 2007, 101, pp. 47-63 and E. Capretti, Domenico Puglio disegnator: una questione di metodo, in: „Aver disegno“. Studi per Anna Forlani Tempesti, Florence 2022, p. 77, fig. 5). The squaring of the sheet in black chalk also suggests that the drawing may have been executed in preparation for a painting. Characteristic details such as the big hands of the Virgin with the long, pointed fingers, the blessing hand of Christ and his curly hair as well as the faces of the figures with their broad foreheads and big noses and the rounded chin and the slightly stiffened and flattened draperies with the wavy hems can also be observed in the present drawing and show the artistic influence of the artist’s teacher Puglio. Similar features can be found in a study for “The Conversion of Paul” in the Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco (Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, inv. no. 1963.24.22). Despite the differences in subject and execution both drawings show certain resemblences such as the clear outlines, the rounded forms and the cross-hatchings which are limited to certain areas of the depictions. Although the graphic oeuvre of Domenico Beceri still needs a well-founded appraisal, the present drawing can be ascribed to the artist due to its stilistic similarities as well as its proximity to the painting “Pala di San Mercuriale” in Pistoia (cf. E. Capretti, op. cit, p. 77, fig. 4)