Cristoforo Roncalli (Italian 1552-1626) Studies on Paper

Artist: Cristoforo Roncalli (Italian 1552-1626).
Title: Study of four Putti/ Study for Pieta verso.
Medium: Sanguine chalk on buff coloured laid paper.
Framed Size: Height 31 cm x Width 38 cm x Depth 5 cm.
Sheet Size: Height 16 cm x Width 20 cm.
Condition: The drawing would have originally been placed on a mount for handling, most likely as it could be studied or used as a reference for a painting or fresco. Often drawing mounts are separated by conservators due to the leaching of adhesives. This drawing was conserved prior to our acquisition and the staining that is visible on the drawing is likely due either to the original adhesives that were used prior to the current backing that has been applied or the medium used by the artist when creating the larger work for which this drawing has been referenced from. Housed in a period giltwood frame with acid-free conservation mats and backing board. It is glazed with anti-reflective invisible glass ArtGlass AR70.
Provenance:
Christies, London, 15 April 1980. Part lot 70.
Private Collection London.
Private Collection Sydney Australia.

Written Correspondence was initiated with Professor Herwarth Röttgen the recognised authority on Cristoforo Roncalli to establish the drawing’s authorship along with a drawing from the same collection by Giuseppe Cesari Cavaliere d’Arpino.. The consultation with Professor Röttgen was undertaken following a private suggestion of possible authorship regarding Giuseppe Cesari, by a well-published scholar prior to the discovery of the Christies London, 15 April 1980 catalogue.

Upon reviewing the drawing and known provenance, it is the scholarly opinion of Professor Herwarth Röttgen that this drawing is by the hand of Cristoforo Roncalli.

Further research has indicated that this drawing is likely a study for “St Domitilla between Saints Nereus and Achilleus”, 17th Century, oil on canvas (see image above), held in the Santi Nereo e Achilleo Church, Italy, Lazio, Rome. The study for pieta verso appears to be a compositional study used for the large-scale La Pietà located in the Church of Sant’Agostino in Montepulciano. A copy of the correspondence from Professor Herwarth Röttgen is available on request.

About: Cristoforo Roncalli was born and raised in the provincial Tuscan town of Pomarance and became one of the most acclaimed painters working in Rome. He began his career studying in Florence for a brief period, then moved to Siena in 1575, where he produced his first notable commissions for altarpieces and frescoes. While on a study trip to Rome in 1580 Roncalli was drawn to the city’s inspirational sites, influential contacts, and abundant patronage. He remained there until the end of his life, receiving numerous commissions for frescoes with Biblical themes, such as scenes from the life of Saint Paul and the Passion of Christ. In 1588 he became a member of the distinguished Accademia di San Luca.

Roncalli’s work throughout this period retained the influences of Florentine Mannerism, but by the mid-1590s, a new realism and more dramatic contrasts between light and shade appeared in his work. This shift in Roncalli’s style may reflect the influence of his friend Caravaggio. By the turn of the century, Roncalli procured the patronage of Pope Clement VIII and was nominated to oversee decorative works in St. Peter’s Basilica. He was promoted to Cavaliere di Cristo, the highest designation for an artist in the church in 1607. Bio The J. Paul Getty Museum. The inscription 198 pertains to a 17th-century collector cataloguing details.