drawing
- Museum number
- 1992,0125.11
- Description
-
The Virgin and Child with St Mark, within an oval, a panel of ornament at left
Black chalk, with grey wash
- Production date
- 1600-1661
- Dimensions
-
Height: 160 millimetres
-
Width: 391 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- The artist was born in Rome and worked most of his life in Venice. See R. Pallucchini, 'La pittura veneziana del Seicento', Milan, 1981, I, pp. 164-8. The artist's drawings are rare, see B.W. Meijer, 'Alcuni disegni di Francesco Ruschi', "Prospettiva", 1983-4, 33-36, pp. 231-33.
See: Nicholas Turner, 'Italian Drawings in the BM, Roman Baroque Drawings', London, 1999, I, no. 276:
According to the 1927 Sotheby's sale catalogue (27 April, lot 17), the drawing was once in the collection of Queen Christina of Sweden, a claim evidently based on the erroneous belief that the drawing had belonged to Pierre Crozat (1665-1740), who had acquired numerous pieces for his collection from the Queen's heirs, the Odescalchi.
The drawing is a design for the decoration of a lunette, probably to appear over an altarpiece; two alternatives for the filling of the corner spaces appear on either side. This is one of the few drawings by Ruschi to have survived and the stylistic parallels with the graphic work of Pier Francesco Mola (q.v.) are noteworthy.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1992
- Acquisition notes
- This item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45. The British Museum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1992,0125.11
