Francesco SALVIATI, entourage of - Lot 4

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Lot n° 4
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Estimation :
800 - 1200 EUR
Francesco SALVIATI, entourage of - Lot 4
Francesco SALVIATI, entourage of (Florence, 1510 - Rome, 1563) View of the world map room in the Saccheti Palace in Rome Pen, brown ink and brown ink wash 24.2 x 22.9 cm Collection mark lower left (Lugt. 106) Provenance : Collection of Alfonso IV d'Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio. Our drawing shows a view of the "mappemonde" room in Rome's Palazzo Saccheti (fig.1); the angle of view corresponds to that of the wall parallel to the Via Gulia. The central scene shows "The Death of Saul" (fig.2), while the far right shows "Saul and the Witch of Endor" (fig.3), two scenes from the fresco cycle retracing the story of David commissioned in 1553 from Francesco Salviati by Cardinal Ricci of Montepulciano. A monumental fireplace in the foreground catches the eye (fig.4). Whether this is an actual state or a project (as the fact that it is half-drawn might suggest), the presence of this fireplace in perspective clarifies the role it was intended to play in Salviati's original composition. Indeed, since Catherine Dumont's study of the Palazzo Saccheti, we know that the composition of the frescoes decorating this room is based on the principles of "designo interno", as Salviati took pains to "remove his decor from any law of logical construction", the better to destabilize the viewer's gaze, who gradually abandons all reference points and finds himself forced to share in the artist's illusionist universe. The skilful design of the columns supporting the paintings and tapestries with cords and ribbons held in place by putti accompanied by large allegorical figures, perfectly mastered in the upper register, is however compromised in the lower panelling register, which is punctuated by consoles with women's heads alternately in profile and facing the length of the walls (fig. 5). The obvious incoherence of this part of the base decoration, precisely at the level of a trompe-l'œil painted mantelpiece, is surprising given the virtuosity displayed in the upper register. This lack of mastery suggests that a chimneypiece probably once existed here, but was replaced at some unspecified date by a clumsy trompe-l'oeil. Our drawing preserves the memory of this and allows us to better grasp the subtlety of Salviati's mastery of space. The mass of the mantel anchored the overall composition, and the presence of a statuette - probably a bronze - placed forward on the hearth lintel re-established the coherence of the central panel. Although the originality of the proposed solution suggests that this is a Salviati design, our drawing cannot be attributed to him, as it is most likely a workshop copy. Bibliography - Catherine Dumont, Francesco Salviati au palais Sacchetti de Rome et la décoration murale italienne (1520-1560), Institut Suisse de Rome, Geneva, 1973. -Op. cit; p. 136, note no. 6. -Op. cit; p. 142. -Op. cit; p. 149
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