Cristoforo Roncalli (Italian 1552-1626) After Raphael
Artist: Cristoforo Roncalli (Italian 1552-1626).
Title: Study from the Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche, Villa Farnesina (After Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino).
Medium: Sanguine and black chalk on buff-coloured laid paper.
Sheet Size: Height 19 cm x Width 10.3 cm.
Condition: The drawing is in good condition, with pencil censoring of the putti in a later hand. Housed in a giltwood frame with acid-free conservation mats and backing board. It is glazed with anti-reflective invisible glass ArtGlass AR70.
Provenance: Private Collection Belgium.
Professor Herwarth Röttgen was contacted regarding his scholarly opinion on the drawing, of which he confirmed the authorship to Cristoforo Roncalli.
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.