A Seated Female Figure Holding a Book

Donato Creti (1671 - 1749) was an Italian painter in the late Baroque/early Rococo period. He learned to draw by nude studies and copying etchings by earlier Bolognese artists such as Guido Reni and Simone Cantarini and was highly praised by his contemporaries for his distinctive style. This drawing is catalogued in 'Donato Creti: Le Opere su Carta - Catalogo Ragionato' by Marco Riccomini (2012, p290, cat. 49.3), as 'Figura femminile seduta con un libro' (Female figure seduced by a book). Riccomini did not think the attribution to Creti was correct, but did not suggest an alternative.