 |
Annibale CARRACCI (Bologna, 1560 - Rome, 1609)
Study for Paris
c.1597
© R.M.N.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Technical information |
|
Annibale CARRACCI (Bologna, 1560 - Rome, 1609)
Study for Paris
c.1597
Black and white chalk on blue paper
H. 50.3 cm; W. 36.3 cm
Francesco Angeloni (+1652) ; Pierre Mignard (+1695); Pierre Crozat collection; sold Paris 1741, part of nos. 462-72; Pierre-Jean Mariette collection; sold Paris, 1775, part of no. 331; purchased for the Cabinet du Roi
INV7318
Prints and Drawings
|
|
|
|
| Author(s) |
|
| Grollemund Hélène |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Study for Paris |
|
This study in black and white chalk was carried out for the figure of Paris in the Paris and Mercury scene on the ceiling of the Farnese Gallery in Rome. Painted by Annibale Carracci and his Bolognese disciples between 1597 and 1600, this decorative painting managed to combine the harmony of Raphael with the palette of the Venetian School, so paving the way for the great Baroque decorative schemes of the years to come.
|
A gallery of seminal importance
In November 1595, Annibale Carracci moved to Rome to decorate the Palazzo Farnese, as commissioned by Cardinal Odoardo Farnese (1537-1626). The palace was undoubtedly the most impressive aristocratic residence in the "Eternal City" at this period, and a conspicuous symbol of the Farnese family's power. The ceiling painting in the gallery was inspired by Pellegrino Tibaldi's Sala d'Ulisse at the Palazzo Poggi in Bologna, by Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and by Raphael's decorative work for the Farnesine, as well as by classical sculpture. It depicts the loves of the gods in a series of quadri riportati, skilfully arranged within a network of trompe-l'oeil sculptures imitating marble and bronze medallions. Conceived at a time when Cardinal Odoardo wanted to demonstrate his independence of mind in Counter-Reformation Rome, this pagan theme would have come across as a symbol of liberty, if not of ostentatious libertinage. Carracci was very much at home in the joyous and even mocking register of divine dalliance and gave free rein to his genius, combining learned references and extravagant allusions to fertility and pleasure in a spirit of infectious light-heartedness and generosity. Considered as the seminal decorative cycle of the Seicento, the work in this gallery was to become a benchmark for painters of following generations, and was directly quoted in Domenichino's frescoes at Bassano di Sutri and in Lanfranco's decorative paintings for the Palazzo Borghese.
A large number of preparatory drawings
The many preparatory drawings that have survived mean that we can follow the artist as he elaborated the decorative structure and details of the main quadri riportati. They attest to Annibale Carracci's sureness of touch and exhaustive analysis of the living model which is the most fascinating aspect of his work. The drawing of Paris is both highly accomplished and marvelously spontaneous. The hero, sitting and reaching out to take the apple of discord that Mercury is about to give him, is in every respect redolent of a model striking the required pose, the rope that he is holding on to with his left hand being replaced by a trumpet in the fresco. His body appears to be gently modeled by the light. In contrast, a vigorous trattegio is applied to the shadows and backlit zones of the two drawings kept at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Besançon, depicting Mercury and Paris's Dog. Writing about these studies for the Galleria Farnese, Mariette noted that "these handsome Nudes, these Heads and these other Studies are drawn with such exactitude that they could restore the purity of painting, were it to fall; it is to be hoped, therefore, that we will continue to conserve them with all the care that they warrant."
|
|
Loisel C., "Annibale Carracci au Palazzo Farnese," Les Cieux en gloire : Paradis en trompe-l'oeil pour la Rome baroque. Bozzetti, modelli, ricordi et memorie, Ajaccio, Musée Fesch, 2002, pp. 121-34; note 017
Feigenbaum G., The Drawings of Annibale Carracci, Washington, National Gallery of Art, 1999-2000, no. 53
Loisel C., Le dessin à Bologne 1580-1620 : La réforme des trois Carracci, Editions de la Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1994, no. 59
Loisel C., Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, Inventaire général des dessins italiens. Ludovico, Agostino, Annibale Carracci, forthcoming, 2004
|
|
|
|
|
Prints and Drawings : 
