A snake charmer

An engraving by Diana Ghisi after a drawing by Giulio Romano now in the Louvre, Paris (inv. no. 3562). This print is annotated at the bottom of the image in ink with name of the printmaker. Before lettering. Annotated on the verso. Trimmed within platemark.

Traditionally given to Giulio Romano, this drawing is a preparatory study for one of the sixteen medallions of the Sala dei Venti in Palazzo Te, Mantua. A private room of Federico II Gonzaga, this room was decorated with stuccoes and paintings between 1527 and 1528 by Agostino da Mozzanica, Anselmo Guazzi, Benedetto Pagni, Girolamo da Treviso and Rinaldo Mantovano from drawings by Giulio. The decorative program of the room is well explained by an inscription, above a door, which affirms that the destiny of a man depends on the influence of the stars at the time of his birth.

This drawing corresponds to the painted scene at the left end of the south wall under the sign of Capricorn, depicted on the ceiling between the personifications of the months of December and January. According to the 'Mathesis, VIII' of Firmico Materno, the men born at this time of the year are under the influence of the constellation of the Serpentarius which gives them the ability to charm venomous snakes.