The card party (recto); Profile head of a soldier wearing a helmet (verso)

Although little known today, Giuseppe Piattoli was an active and prominent figure in Florence at the end of the 18th Century. Between 1786 and 1807 he was a professor of disegno at the Accademia. The scene with ladies and gentlemen playing in an interior on the recto of this sheet can be compared to Piattoli’s compositions for his popular series of prints, such as I Proverbi (an album of 32 preparatory drawings was sold at Christie’s, Rome, 15 June 2006, lot 460) and the Giuochi, trattenimenti e feste annue che si costumano in Toscana e specialmente in Firenze published in 1790.