Red Chalk Drawing Attributed to Baroque Master Guercino fetches £23,180

Discovered in a local property in Wimbledon Village, a red chalk drawing of a man's head in side profile has sold for over £23,000 at Wimbledon Auctions.

Auctioneer Felix Turner said 'the drawing stood out to me as soon as I entered the room. It looked so alike many of the drawings that one sees when they go to British Museum. I consigned the picture for further research, took it back to the office and removed the frame. Inscribed on the reverse was the attribution that an auctioneer hopes for 'Guercino Da Cento'.

Guercino Da Cento (also know as Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) was an Italian painter and draftsmen from Cento in the Emilia Region, who was active in Rome and Bologna and known for his skillful handling of light and shadow, dramatic compositions and expressive figures. He was nicknamed 'Il Guercino' meaning 'The Squinter' in Italian, after a childhood incident left him cross-eyed.

The vendor had purchased the drawing from an antique shop in the 1960's. 

The drawing, attributed to but not absolutely confirmed to be by the Baroque master, was entered with an estimate of £3,000-5,000. One the day of the auction, the drawing was contested by numerous online bidders. The final battle came down to an Italian private collector and a French private collector, with a hammer price of £19,000. With buyer's premium, the total sale was £23,180.