With this ninth volume of Figure di Carta, we continue a project that has gradually become an essential part of our gallery’s identity.
Published twice a year, these catalogues bring together a selection of works on paper united by a simple yet fundamental criterion: quality. Not necessarily celebrated masterpieces or museum pieces, but drawings chosen for their artistic, historical, and collecting interest.
Alongside works by established masters, readers will find preparatory studies, independent inventions, and drawings by lesser-known artists whose works nevertheless offer valuable insight into the creative process and visual culture of their time. Beyond attribution, our primary interest lies in the strength of the image and the quality of the hand that produced it.
This volume reflects a field that has increasingly shaped our research in recent years: Italian drawings from the late sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century, one of the richest and most compelling chapters in European draftsmanship.
For the first time, Figure di Carta is published entirely in both Italian and English. This development reflects the increasingly international nature of our work and of a field whose leading collectors, scholars, and institutions now form a truly global community.
Although Old Master drawings remain a highly specialized area of collecting, they continue to hold a privileged position within the international art market. Their ability to reveal artistic thought at the very moment of its formation gives them an enduring and distinctive appeal.
With this catalogue, we hope to share not only a selection of works, but also the passion for drawing that continues to guide our daily work.
Enrico e Federico Cortona