Search "" as a keyword...
Filter suggestionsContinue typing to see suggestions...
Exhibitions and records of works of art

Prince Albert recognised the importance of photography to record and document notable exhibitions and works of art

AFTER A WORK COPYING PIETRO PERUGINO (CITTÀ DELLA PIEVE C.1450-FONTIGNANO 1523)

Two figures seen from behind

1858

Albumen print? | RCIN 2864230

A photograph of a drawing depicting two standing men seen from behind now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice (inv. no. 21 recto). This drawing features a young man on the verso (see RCIN 854662 for a photograph of the verso). Annotated on the verso.

Ferino Pagden (see Bibliographic References) catalogued the figures depicted in this drawing as copies of those in the 'Baptism of Christ', frescoed c. 1482 by Pietro Perugino in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican. This drawing is squared up, although it has not been established whether this is actually to be attributed to a later hand, as the squaring up does not feature either in the etching published in 1829 by Luigi Celotti (see RCIN 854661 for it) or in the various known copies after this drawing.

This drawing is part of the so-called "Libretto di Raffaello" or "Libretto Veneziano", 53 sheets that used to be mounted in a volume. After complicated negotiations, the sketchbook was bought by the museum in the 1820s, after the death of Giuseppe Bossi, who was its previous owner. A number of scholars debated the author of the drawings (with many names proposed, such as Pinturicchio, Antonio da Viterbo, Eusebio del Giorgio, Girolamo Genga) and their date. In 1984, the Gallerie dell'Accademia catalogued the drawings as by an artist contemporary to Raphael, whose juvenile works he copied in this sketchbook (see Bibliographic References).

A copy of this photograph (RCIN 854660) can be found in the Prince Consort's Raphael Collection, portfolio 49 (970609)

  • Creator(s)

    After a work copying Pietro Perugino (Città della Pieve c.1450-Fontignano 1523) (artist)

    After a work associated with Raphael (Urbino 1483-Rome 1520) (artist)

    Attributed to Florence : Alinari (photographer)

  • Acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

  • Subject(s)
    • Religion & Theology
      • Religions and faiths
        • Christianity
          • Life of Christ
            • Public Life of Christ
              • Baptism of Christ
    • Places
      • Europe
        • Italy
          • Lazio [Italy]
            • Rome [Lazio]
              • Vatican City [Rome]
                • Vatican Palace [Vatican City]
                  • Sistine Chapel [Vatican Palace]
  • Bibliographic reference(s)

    Gallerie dell' Accademia di Venezia : catalogo dei disegni antichi. v.
    S. Ferino Pagden, Disegni Umbri (1984), pp. 135-136, no. 51 (for the drawing); pp. 13-31 (for the sketchbook)