(1733–1803) A group of travelers at a well, pen and brown ink, grey wash, on laid paper, 32,5x 22,5 cm, old fixed to mount, browned, stained, mounted, framed, (Sch)

Provenance:
Private property, Italy.

Giovanni Volpato studied under Antonio Novelli and Giovanni Antonio Remondini and from 1762 onward worked as an engraver with Francesco Bartolozzi und Joseph Wagner. In 1771 he moved to Rome where he founded an academy for engraving and cecame wellknown for his print reproductions after the frescos by Raphael in the Raphael rooms in the Vatican palace (1770-1777) of which some were colored by the hand of Francesco Panini. Apart from his main activity as a graphic artist also paintings are known by him, such as in Bassano (Dom) and in Venice (Ca‘ Rezzonico). In addition, he also made some delicate watercolored etchings, which, like most of his engravings, may have been popular as souvenir among travelers to Italy. Das Metropolitan Museum in New York keeps a group of Roman views by Volpato which he may have executed around 1780 (cf. Inv. No. 2009.383 - Inv. No. 2009.390). The present drawing shows a compositional structure with a low viewpoint and an architectural framing of the scene which is similar with the two sheets “Interior of the Baths at Caracalla” (Inv. No. 2009.383) and “Villa Farnese (Inv. No. 2009.387). The present drawing is only executed in brown ink with grey and brown wash and may have been made in preparation for a print similar to the etchings in the Metropolitan Museum.