JACOPO PALMA, called IL GIOVANE

1544 — Venice — 1620

San Francesco, Standing

pen & brown ink. 81/8 x 31/4" (205 x 85mm). watermark.

provenance:
Prof. Isaac's collection, London; with Herman Schickman Gallery, 1973;
Philippe de Montebello, NY, 1973-2010.

literature:
Elena Lucchesi Ragni, I disegni del Moretto: qualche indicazione del suo procedimento inventivo, pp. 223 - 227, illustrated, in the exhibition catalogue, Alessandro Bonvicino, Il Moretto, multiple authors, published by Nuove Alfa Editoriale for the Commune di Brescia, 1988.

Palma was problably the most accomplished and prolific artist of his generation in Venice. His painting style could vary considerably, incorporating the technique of Titian, the style of Tintoretto, the naturalism of Bassano. This image shows San Francesco standing akimbo, with weight-bearing leg behind the bent-kneed forefront leg, seen at a 3/4 view, head turned towards the viewer, one hand extended foward in its gesture. As kindly pointed out to me by Dott. Andrea Piai,1 the pose of the Saint pretty closely resembles that of San Francesco in a pen, ink & wash drawing published by Stefania Mason Rinaldi who thereby related it to a painting in Palazzo Vendramin Calergi in Venice.2 Dott.ssa Rinaldi dated the related wash drawing to the artist's last period between 1620-28. That published drawing shows the figure within a landscape and the turn of his head is at a somewhat different angle. The related painting is one of six mentioned in a 1646 inventory of Vincenzo Grimani, all single figure Saints.

In addition, Dott. Piai notes that Palma (or his workshop) depicts a Saint with similar gestures in another painting in the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni.3

Unusual for Palma is the lack of any chalk underdrawing.

1

in an email dated 4/25/2020

2

See Stefania Mason Rinaldi, Palma Il Giovane, 1548-1628, Disegni e dipinti, Electa, 1990, p. 45, cat. 45a.

3

in an email dated 4/28/2020