Part of a twenty-three set of drawings presented as a gift to the British Museum, this drawing was initially attributed to Domenico Guirlandaio and thought to depict Pope Adrian VI, but has been reattributed to Sangallo due to the drawing's striking resemblance to the head of Leonardo Buonafede on the artist's monument in Florence.

Buonafede was a Carthusian monk who was bishop of Cortona from 1529 until 1538, when he resigned. He is depicted on his deathbed, his biretta is only indicated but the rest is carefully finished.

Provenance

From the Phillipps Fenwick Collection.


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