Lot Essay
The present drawing contains early studies for the ceiling of the Sala d'Ercole in Caprarola, D. De Grazia, Bertoia, Mirola and the Farnese court, Milan, 1991, fig. 76. Federico worked on the Sala d'Ercole from 1566 up to 1569 when, because of a disagreement with his patron Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, he was replaced by Bertoia.
The central fresco and one of the surrounding compositions, Hercules plunges his Staff into the Earth (D. De Grazia, op. cit., fig. 77) as well as two lunettes were realized by Zuccaro, whereas the rest of the decoration is by Bertoia, J. Mundy, Renaissance into Baroque, Italian Master Drawings by the Zuccari, exhib. cat., Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, 1989, p. 148. The upper part of the recto of this sheet recalls the layout of the ceiling, and two of the surrounding sketches are studies for Hercules plunges his Staff. Two other sketches are early thoughts for Young Men trying to pull Hercules' Staff from the Earth, eventually realized by Bertoia, D. De Grazia, op. cit., fig. 79.
James Mundy has kindly confirmed the attribution.
The central fresco and one of the surrounding compositions, Hercules plunges his Staff into the Earth (D. De Grazia, op. cit., fig. 77) as well as two lunettes were realized by Zuccaro, whereas the rest of the decoration is by Bertoia, J. Mundy, Renaissance into Baroque, Italian Master Drawings by the Zuccari, exhib. cat., Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, 1989, p. 148. The upper part of the recto of this sheet recalls the layout of the ceiling, and two of the surrounding sketches are studies for Hercules plunges his Staff. Two other sketches are early thoughts for Young Men trying to pull Hercules' Staff from the Earth, eventually realized by Bertoia, D. De Grazia, op. cit., fig. 79.
James Mundy has kindly confirmed the attribution.