Il DISEGNATORE MISTERIOSO – often identified as the young GRECO (1541–1614)

Il DISEGNATORE MISTERIOSO – often identified as the young GRECO (1541–1614)
Double study for a Christ and a Saint Jerome
Pen and brown ink – 21.6 x 16 cm
Attribution confirmed by Professor Stefania Mason

Previously attributed to Palma il Giovane, this work is actually by the same hand as a group of drawings with a distinctive and easily identifiable style, evocative of Tintoretto, Palma and Schiavone. The identity of their author remains a subject of debate among specialists: El Greco during his Venetian period, according to Nicholas Turner; Alessandro Maganzo, as suggested by Stefania Mason; or an as-yet unidentified artist, according to others. In the absence of a consensus, this master is conventionally referred to as “Il Disegnatore Misterioso.”

Ultimately, whatever his identity, the “intense and frenetic quality” (N. Turner) of the Disegnatore Misterioso’s graphic work is undeniable, elevating this artist to the rank of one of the most fascinating draughtsmen of Venice in the time of Tintoretto.

Full description and details available on demand