A Neoclassical drawing in search of an attribution and subject

This drawing came to the museum in 1971 as part of the Harry G. Sperling bequest. The initial attribution to Anne Louis Girodet-Trioson was later changed to French eighteenth-century anonymous. Several scholars have suggested that it is Italian, although other nationalities might also be considered given the international nature of Neoclassicism. The sheet has never been exhibited or published and has remained in the French boxes, where, presumably, few Italian, or other, experts have come across it. The subject, like the attribution, is a mystery; on the MET’s website, it’s currently titled “A Scene of Sacrifice.” The collector’s mark is that of Giuseppe Vallardi (L.1223). Drawings from his collection (mostly Italian) were sold in Paris on December 10-12, 1860 (Lugt 25856) but a check of the catalogue produced no likely matches.