Pirro Ligorio (circa 1512-1583) Greek mythological figure playing the aulos, with a harp and armour at their feet

Lot description

Prints and Drawings from the Property of a Collector, London Pirro Ligorio (circa 1512-1583) Greek mythological figure playing the aulos, with a harp and armour at their feet Pen and brown ink, probably circa 1540s, on laid paper without watermark, sheet 87 x 83 mm (3 1/2 x 3 1/4 in), tipped at edges into mount (framed) Provenance: Unidentified collection [Lugt 474, formerly thought to be the mark of P. Crozat]; Private Collection, New Zealand; Sale. Christie's, London, July 4, 1972, lot 67 [part of group lot of 8 drawings]; Baskett and Day, London; Anonymous sale; Estate of Professor Joseph Rykwert (British architectural historian and writer, 1926-2024); Thence by descent to present owner. ⁂ The lot in Christie's sale consisted of eight similarly inscribed fragments evidently cut from the same manuscript, each bearing the eighteenth-century collector's mark. Of these 8 drawings, one is held in the British Museum (acc. no. 1980,0510.67), and another is located in the Minneapolis Institute of Art (see acc. 2003.154).