The Drawings of Michelangelo and His Followers in the Ashmolean Museum

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CATALOGUES 77–78 STUDIO DRAWINGS AND DRAWINGS OF UNDETERMINED STATUS 331

the lower horizontal covers half of the space to the left

of the axial line which divides the niche. It contains five

intervals. If the width of the niche up to the axial line is

interpreted as nine intervals, this means that the base of

the niche as a whole must be eighteen intervals wide. If

the intervals indicatepalmi – braccieare hardly a possibil-

ity – this establishes a base of nearly four metres, and a

height for the statue of some twelve metres, a truly colos-

sal project. The only possibility for such a project that the

compiler can envisage, if this calculation is correct, is that

the figure was to decorate a huge temporary triumphal

arch. If the intervals areoncie, then the figure would be

around a metre high, probably the more likely dimension.

This figure is reflected in a drawing by Battista Franco in

the Albertina, BK 125 ; pen over red chalk, 210 × 90 mm,

bearing the old inscriptionM. Angolo.

The small female figure, reaching upward, may be

related to one in an early and unexecuted project by

Michelangelo for the Magnifici Tomb, which was to con-

tain reliefs of theLamenting Orpheusand theGarden of the

Hesperides. The latter scene included figures of nymphs

stretching on tiptoe to gather fruit: An original sketch for

one of these figures by Michelangelo is at the upper left on

the recto of a sheet of sketches in the Fogg Art Museum,

Inv. 1932 - 15 2/Corpus 438 ;black chalk,15 7×15 7mm.

The studies of a decorative architectural feature, inter-

preted here as a console, may in fact represent a detail of

some larger decorative feature.

History

Jonathan Richardson Senior (no stamp); William Young

Ottley, his sale, 1814 , lot 1680 as Michelangelo (“One – a

design of horses etc. – free pen–afirstthought on the

back for the statue of Christ in the Minerva – red chalk –

veryfine.” £ 515. 6 ); William Roscoe, his sale, September

1816 , lot 60. “One, a study of Horses & c. free pen. A

Sketch on the back for the Statue of Christ in the Min-

erva. Red chalk, very Fine. Size 11 h. 71 / 2 w. F rom the

same Collection [i.e., Mr. Ottley’s].” Bought by Walker

17 s; Sir Thomas Lawrence (L. 2495 ); Samuel Woodburn.

References

William Young Ottley, sale, 1814 , lot 1680 (Michelangelo,

“One – a design of horses etc. – free pen – a first thought

on the back for the statue of Christ in the Minerva – red

chalk – very fine.”). William Roscoe, his sale, September

1816 , lot 60 (“One, a study of Horses & c. free pen. A

Sketch on the back for the Statue of Christ in the Mi-

nerva. Red chalk, very Fine. Size 11 h. 712 w. F rom the

same Collection [i.e., Mr. Ottley’s].”). Lawrence Inven-

tory, 1830 ,M.A.Buonaroti Case 3 , Drawer 3 [ 1830 -

78 ] (“Various pen sketches among others a Horse, and

some slight sketches on the back.”). Woodburn, 1836 b,

no. 47 (“Admirably drawn.”). Woodburn,184 2,no. 46

(As 1836 .). Robinson,187 0,no. 20 (Michel Angelo. “The

equestrian group so much resembles other sketches for

the Cartoon of Pisa, as to leave little doubt that it was

afirst thought for one of the groups of small figures

in the background of that composition.”). Black, 1875 ,

p. 213 ,no. 20 .Gotti, 1875 , II, p. 239. Berenson, 1903 ,I,

pp. 254 – 6 , 260 ,no. 1701 (Montelupo. Sketch for horse

after bronze original; “motive of charioteer and his mad

horses...[may be] after a sketch by Michelangelo for an

otherwise unknown version of the Phaeton.” [A] occurs

in two versions of aConversion of Saint Paulascribed to

Pordenone, but in reality by Bonifazio de’ Pitati.). Thode,

1913 ,no. 404 (Phaeton scene?. Probably, but not cer-

tainly by Raffaello da Montelupo.). Berenson, 1938 ,I,

pp. 257 – 8 ,no. 1701 (As 1903 .). Wilde, 1949 ,p. 308 (Head

of a youth occurs in almost identical form on Windsor

PW 786 recto.). Parker, 1956 ,no. 405 (Montelupo’s “left

handedness is much in evidence.” The writing agrees

with his. Verso study probably for aSaint John the Baptist

Preaching.). Berenson, 1961 ,no. 1701 (As 1903 / 1938 .).

CATALOGUE 78

raffaellodamontelupo (c. 1505–1566)

Recto: Anatomical and Other Studies

Ve r so: Anatomical Studies; Groups of Prostrate Figures

184 6. 129 ;R. 44 ;P.II 408

Dimensions: 198 × 293 mm

Medium

Recto: Black and red chalk.

Ve r so: Black chalk and pen and ink over black chalk.

Condition

Double-sided window mount; bevelled inlay adhered to

verso.

Recto: There is overall ingrained surface dirt and

patchy discolouration. The sheet has three vertical fold

lines, with tears in all the major folds, particularly at the

edges. Various repairs are visible. There is show-through

from verso. There seems to be some colour change in the

pen lines.

Ve r so: Repair patches are still more clearly visible.

There is some colour change in the ink lines, and the

red chalk is smudged at the right edge.

Accounts

Ve r so: series of numbers and sums by the artist.