- Museum number
- 1905,1110.48
- Description
-
A landscape with the Rape of Ganymede
Red chalk
Verso: Landscape studies
Red chalk
- Production date
- 1515-1543
- Dimensions
-
Height: 150 millimetres
-
Width: 280 millimetres (upper corners cut)
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- The drawing came from an album containing mostly drawings by Parmigianino, it was recognised by Popham as a work of Polidoro in 1942. The treatment of landscape on the recto is comparable to that in Polidoro's frescoes in San Silvestro al Quirinale, Rome and the drawing most likely dates from the mid-1520s prior to the artist's departure from the city following the Sack in 1527.
Lit: P. Pouncey and J.A. Gere, 'Italian drawings in the BM, Raphael and his circle', London, 1962, I, no. 205, II, pls 173-4; A. Marabottini, 'Polidoro da Caravaggio', Rome, 1969, I, nos. 78, 79, II, pls. XCI, 1, XCI, 2; L. Ravelli, 'Polidoro Caldara da Caravaggio', Bergamo, 1978, nos. 58, 59; P. Leone de Castris, exhib. cat., Naples, Capodimonte, 'Polidoro da Caravaggio', 1988-9, no. III b.8, p. 36 (with further bibliography); C. Monbeig Goguel, 'Giulio Clovio', in Fiamminghi a Roma 1508-1608, exhib.cat. Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 1995, p.156, n.6.
Pouncey & Gere 1962
The lower edge, at any rate, has been trimmed, since part of an inscription, which might have been "Polidoro", is visible on the verso. The drawing came from an album containing mostly drawings by Parmigianino (many of them also from the Lely Collection) and was itself until recently ascribed to Parmigianino; but, as Popham was the first to point out, the handling of the red chalk, the proportions and modelling of the figure, and the character of the landscape, point unmistakably to Polidoro. The landscape may be compared with the two frescoes in S. Silvestro al Quirinale (Venturi ix2, figs. 367, 368; better reproduced in 'Art Bulletin', xliii (1961), opp. p. 282).
A section to r. of centre in the upper verso landscape has been marked off by the artist with rectangular framing lines in red chalk.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
1962/3 Nov-Sep, BM, 'Raphael and his Circle', (P+G)
1977 May-Jun, Hermitage, 'Italian Renaissance', no. 43
1977 Jul-Aug, Pushkin, Moscow, 'Italian Renaissance', no. 43
1980, Adelaide and Melbourne, no. 43
1984, BM, 'Landscape in Italy', no. 19
2005 April-July, Seoul Arts Centre, 'BM Treasures...'
2005 July-Oct, Korea, Busan Museum, 'BM Treasures...'
2005/6 Oct-Jan, Daegu, Keimyung Univ. Museum, 'BM Treasures...'
2016-17, Oct-Jan, Suzhou, 'Italian Renaissance Drawings', no. 47
2019 11 Apr-30 Jun, Macau Museum of Art, Macau, 'Italian Renaissance Drawings'
- Acquisition date
- 1905
- Acquisition notes
- For a note on the acquisition history, see 1905,1110.11.
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1905,1110.48
