Lot Essay
An early design for the central compartment of the twelfth vault section of the ceiling of the Galerie d'Ulysse in Fontainebleau. The ceiling was destroyed in the 18th Century but the decoration is known through various drawings and copies as well as decriptions. The shape of the central compartments of each vault section varied: the fourth and the twelfth compartment had the same octagonal shape with the corners curved, according to the symmetrical arrangement of the ceiling. The present design, however, shows a compartment of hexagonal shape, which suggests that it was executed at an early stage when its placement was not yet determined: there were indeed two compartments in the ceiling of hexagonal shape, one in the seventh, and the other in the ninth vault section, S. Béguin et al., La Galerie d'Ulysse à Fontainebleau, Paris, 1985, fig. 45.
The present composition was developed in the final modello in the British Museum, London, and a copy in reverse is in the Royal Library, Brussels, S. Béguin op. cit., p. 182, figs. 94-5. The London drawing represents Minerva not flying on her own but borne by the Graces with putti supporting her arms. This was used by Primaticcio as the final design: the central panel of the compartment was described by Guilbert in 1731, eight years before its destruction, as 'L'apothéose de Minerve, qui est enlevée au Ciel par les Graces', abbé P. Guilbert, Description historique des château, bourg et forest de Fontainebleau, Paris, 1731, II, p. 34. Mariette, who spoke in the past tense, described the picture more succinctly: 'Dans la douzième travée on voyait, au milieu, Bellone portée en l'air', P.-J. Mariette, note in Peintures des l'Institut de Bologne, Paris, 1759, published in the Abecedario, Paris, 1859, p. 296.
The Galerie d'Ulysse was designed to join the apartments of the Cour Ovale to the Jardin des Pins and its construction was begun in 1536. When Rosso died in 1540 Primaticcio was asked to decorate the gallery: to cover its enormous length of 150 metres, he chose to divide it into fifteen compartments. The programme was probably designed as early as 1541 to 1543, but work did not begin until 1546, when Primaticcio returned from Italy. The vault of the Gallery was close to completion when work stopped in 1550 because of the decoration of the Salle de Bal. Work only resumed in 1555. At that time Primaticcio provided modelli for the teams of artists who executed the stucco and frescoes. These drawings, polished and complete, served as a guideline for his colleagues.
These modelli have been divided by Sylvie Béguin into two types: those executed in pen and ink and wash heightened with white, and the chalk drawings. Sylvie Béguin suggests that the pen drawings are datable to the period before Primaticcio's trip in Italy, early in 1544, as their draughtsmanship shows the influence of Rosso and Giulio Romano.
All known drawings for the twelfth compartments are executed in chalk, but a number of pen drawings for the tenth and eleventh compartement are reproduced in Béguin, op. cit., pp. 173-181, some of which show the same purity of line as the present sheet, characteristic of Primaticcio.
The inscription of the present drawing 'Bologne.' reflects the fact that Primaticcio was nicknamed after his native city. This inscription, most probably in the same hand, is found on many of his drawings, such as the British Museum sheet, the second version of this subject.
The present composition was developed in the final modello in the British Museum, London, and a copy in reverse is in the Royal Library, Brussels, S. Béguin op. cit., p. 182, figs. 94-5. The London drawing represents Minerva not flying on her own but borne by the Graces with putti supporting her arms. This was used by Primaticcio as the final design: the central panel of the compartment was described by Guilbert in 1731, eight years before its destruction, as 'L'apothéose de Minerve, qui est enlevée au Ciel par les Graces', abbé P. Guilbert, Description historique des château, bourg et forest de Fontainebleau, Paris, 1731, II, p. 34. Mariette, who spoke in the past tense, described the picture more succinctly: 'Dans la douzième travée on voyait, au milieu, Bellone portée en l'air', P.-J. Mariette, note in Peintures des l'Institut de Bologne, Paris, 1759, published in the Abecedario, Paris, 1859, p. 296.
The Galerie d'Ulysse was designed to join the apartments of the Cour Ovale to the Jardin des Pins and its construction was begun in 1536. When Rosso died in 1540 Primaticcio was asked to decorate the gallery: to cover its enormous length of 150 metres, he chose to divide it into fifteen compartments. The programme was probably designed as early as 1541 to 1543, but work did not begin until 1546, when Primaticcio returned from Italy. The vault of the Gallery was close to completion when work stopped in 1550 because of the decoration of the Salle de Bal. Work only resumed in 1555. At that time Primaticcio provided modelli for the teams of artists who executed the stucco and frescoes. These drawings, polished and complete, served as a guideline for his colleagues.
These modelli have been divided by Sylvie Béguin into two types: those executed in pen and ink and wash heightened with white, and the chalk drawings. Sylvie Béguin suggests that the pen drawings are datable to the period before Primaticcio's trip in Italy, early in 1544, as their draughtsmanship shows the influence of Rosso and Giulio Romano.
All known drawings for the twelfth compartments are executed in chalk, but a number of pen drawings for the tenth and eleventh compartement are reproduced in Béguin, op. cit., pp. 173-181, some of which show the same purity of line as the present sheet, characteristic of Primaticcio.
The inscription of the present drawing 'Bologne.' reflects the fact that Primaticcio was nicknamed after his native city. This inscription, most probably in the same hand, is found on many of his drawings, such as the British Museum sheet, the second version of this subject.