A drawing from Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s Punchinello series – estimate £150,000-200,000 at Dreweatts.
A drawing from Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s (1696-1770) Punchinello series is among the highlights of the contents of Weston Hall in Northamptonshire, the seat of the Sitwell family since the early 20th century, being offered by Dreweatts in Newbury on November 16-17.
The hook-nosed, humpbacked clowns who were stock characters in the 17th century commedia dell’arte, an early form of professional theatre, fascinated Tiepolo and he returned to the subject throughout his long career. He produced over 100 drawings on the theme and many are now in museums. Others have appeared at auction over the years, including Punchinellos feasting that made £995,250 including premium at Christie’s in December 2019.