Benjamin perronnet V5 - Flipbook - Page 88
English version
2. Giovanni Baglione
... In 1598, Baglione was commissioned to paint four frescoes
on the Life of the Virgin to complete a cycle begun by the
Zuccari family. He was paid 450 scudi for his work and
materials. It was speci昀椀ed that he was to produce drawings
for each of the compositions, which were to be «well
studied and considered with all due diligence» («li disegni
di tutte le storie bene studiati
e con ogni diligentia considerati»). In his Vite de’pittori,
scultori e architetti, Baglione proudly states that this
cycle, completed as early as 1598, played a major role in
establishing his reputation as an artist in Rome.
Maryvelma Smith O’Neil lists fourteen preparatory
drawings for the Santa Maria dell’Orto cycle. A study for
the Dormition of the Virgin in the Martin von Wagner
Museum in Würzburg is particularly close to the present
drawing, in terms of technique, dimensions and execution,
with the 昀椀gures studied nude and without any indication of
decoration other than a stone block in the foreground.
3. Willem Van Nieulandt II
... Preparatory to an engraving that is part of a series,
entitled Italian Landscapes, of around 昀椀fty pieces all
engraved by van Nieulandt and inscribed «Paul Bril
inventor». Although four preparatory drawings by Paul
Bril (1554-1626) are known, the greatest number of known
studies are in the hand of van Nieulandt. They all measure
around 21.5 x 30 cm, are often in the opposite direction
to the engravings, and some have their outlines incised.
Louisa Wood Ruby has suggested that the words «Paul Bril
Inventor» should be understood as «Inspired by Paul Bril»
rather than «Copied after», and that this subterfuge was
part of a marketing strategy to make the engravings more
popular.
Born in Antwerp, van Nieulandt followed his parents to
Amsterdam, then spent around two years in Rome in
1602-1603, where he was a pupil of Paul Bril. He returned
to Amsterdam, but 昀椀nally settled in his hometown around
1605. The Italian Landscapes are considered his last series
of engravings. According to Willem Adriaan te Slaa, the
artist worked on them between 1618 and 1625. He engraved
a 昀椀rst edition himself, but then sold the copper plates to
the dealer Anton Goedkint, who published two editions with
only thirty-six pieces (the one after the present drawing is
missing). The commercial success of the series is attested
by the fact that two further editions were published in
Paris, by the Bonnart family in the 1670s and by PierreJean Mariette (1694-1774) in the 昀椀rst half of the eighteenth
century.
6. Nicolas Robert
... Philippe de Champaigne, is characteristic of the artist’s
eastretching from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
Young vultures, as shown here, have dark beaks and eyes,
and grey downy necks that turn orange as they mature.
Young vultures have a completely slate-grey plumage.
Adult plumage is predominantly white, with gey and
black ru昀昀, wing and tail feathers. Its head and neck are
featherless, with varying skin colors: yellow, orange, blue,
purple and red. The yellow wattle above the beak is highly
recognizable from its youth. Excluding the two condor
species, the sarcophanrus papa is the largest vulture in the
New World. It has a length of 67 to 80 cm, a wingspan of
1.2 to 1.98 m and a weight of 2.7 to 4.5 kg.
Son of an innkeeper, baptized in Langres on April 16, 1614,
Nicolas Robert probably left his native Champagne at
an early age to begin an apprenticeship in Paris, perhaps
with Daniel Rabel (1578-1637). He then left for Rome - the
length of his stay is unknown - where, in 1640, he published
his 昀椀rst engraved collection of 昀氀owers, Fiori diversi,
with Giovanni Battista de Rossi. Already well known, he
returned to Paris shortly afterwards, where in 1641 he was
commissioned by Charles de Sainte-Maure (1610-1690),
the future Duc de Montausier, to illuminate the Guirlande
de Julie, a sumptuous manuscript of calligraphy on vellum.
He was then hired by Gaston d’Orléans (1608-1660), King
Louis XIII’s brother, to draw the rare plants in his garden
in Blois. By the time Gaston d’Orléans died, his superlative
collection of vellums had been assembled in 昀椀ve volumes,
most of the watercolors depicting animals, birds and plants,
and most of them drawn by Nicolas Robert. As Gaston
had no male heirs, his nephew Louis XIV inherited the
collection. Colbert facilitated the succession, in the belief
that the collection would continue to grow, and to this
end appointed Robert Peintre ordinaire du Roi pour la
miniature in 1666. The painter held this position until his
death.
The present vellum comes from the very rich collection
of bibliophile Marcel Jeanson, focused on hunting and
ornithology. In addition to an exceptional hunting library,
it included an extraordinary collection of animals and
birds drawings. Marcel Jeanson owned over 250 vellums
by Nicolas Robert, no doubt from a single source. They
all feature a three- to 昀椀ve-millimeter gold border, framed
in brown, similar to that found on the Museum’s vellums
by the artist. On the latter, the border is sometimes
interrupted by the bird’s beak or tail, a feature absent
from the Jeanson vellums. On the other hand, the the latter
often feature landscapes, which are rare on the Muséum
vellums, which are also more rectangular in format. These
small di昀昀erences seem to indicate that the Robert Jeanson
vellums were intended for a private individual, rather
than for the royal collection, which had a more scienti昀椀c
ambition.
7. Charles-Joseph Natoire
... commissions, while in France, an article in the Mercure de
France emphasized that «Le Premier Prix remporté dans le
sein de l’Italie, fait beaucoup d’honneur à la Nation».
The present drawing, along with another also preparatory
to a 昀椀gure on the large Accademia di San Luca sheet,
is the 昀椀rst known example of a detailed study for a
composition by the artist. It is executed in a technique that
would later be the artist’s usual practice, and follows a
traditional academic method, which Natoire would pursue
throughout his career, of preparing the 昀椀nal work with
numerous detailed studies. Also characteristic of Natoire’s
work are the repetitions of 昀椀gure details, such as the hands
and head in this case, to give them greater depth.
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