27 September 2026

This Sunday's Private Viewing is devoted to a remarkable drawing by Federico Barocci (1535–1612), one of the most inventive draughtsmen of the Italian Renaissance and a pioneering master in the use of coloured chalks and pastel. Executed in black and red chalk, stumping and pastel, heightened with white on brown-prepared paper, this large Study of a Bearded Man is particularly striking for the subtlety of its modelling and the extraordinary psychological presence of the sitter. The attribution to Barocci has been confirmed by Andrea Emiliani and Nicholas Turner. As always, you will also find our selection of works coming to auction next week, noteworthy results from the past few days, and a few commercial developments and observations from across the art market.