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Lot Essay
Drawings by the Cremonese artist Caletti, best known for his small etched œuvre, are rare, and this relatively large and accomplished sheet stands out in the artist’s drawn body of works. The feathery hatching seen in the figure and horse in the foreground, combined with a more rapidly drawn landscape in the background, are characteristic of the artist’s style (for a similarly executed landscape, see the Royal Collection, Windsor, inv. 990236, discussed in N. Turner, 'Some drawings by Giuseppe Calletti, called il Cremonese', in Scritti in onore di Federico Zeri, II, Turin, 1984, pp. 685, 687, fig. 675). As is the case here, Caletti's drawings display the strong influence of Guercino, both in technique and style.
Most of Caletti’s known sheets are studies for prints, as for example Three men, each on a donkey, one holding a flag in the British Museum (inv. 1980,1011.5; see ibid., p, 681, fig. 667), and a drawing showing Saint Roch in the Royal Collection, Windsor (inv. 990180; see ibid., p, 684, fig. 669). The present work, however, does not seem to correspond to any known etching by the artist.
Most of Caletti’s known sheets are studies for prints, as for example Three men, each on a donkey, one holding a flag in the British Museum (inv. 1980,1011.5; see ibid., p, 681, fig. 667), and a drawing showing Saint Roch in the Royal Collection, Windsor (inv. 990180; see ibid., p, 684, fig. 669). The present work, however, does not seem to correspond to any known etching by the artist.