BERNARDINO GATTI
14 Study of an Apostle
Black and red chalk, brush and gray-black ink, gr
wash, and white gouache heightening, squared in r
chalk; H: 39.8 cm (15"/din.); W: 21.8 cm (8^9 /i 6 in.)
84.00.65 1
MARKS AND INSCRIPTIONS: At bottom right,collecti
marks of Sir Peter Lely (L. 2092), William, second du
of Devonshire (L. 718).
PROVENANCE: Sir Peter Lely, London; William, seco
duke of Devonshire, Chatsworth; by descent to the c
rent duke (sale, Christie's, London, July 3, 1984, lot 1
art market, London.
EXHIBITIONS: None.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: K. T. Parker, Catalogue of the Collecti
of Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum II, Italian Scho
(Oxford, 1956), p. 116, no. 243;). A. Gere, "Drawin
in the Ashmolean Museum" (review of Parker 195
Burlington Magazine 99, no. 650 (May 1957), p. 161; T
Collection of Drawings belonging to the Duke of Devonshi
Chatsworth (London, 1963), p. 25, nos. 303-30
M. L. Ferrari, // Tempio di San Sigismondo a Cremo
(Milan, 1974), p. 159, no. 216; M. diGiampaolo, "Aspe
della grafica cremonese per San Sigismondo," Antichi
viva 13, no. 6 (1974), pp. 19-31; G. Godi, "Anselmi, S
jaro, Gambara, Bedoli: Nuovi disegni per una corre
attribuzione degli affreschi in Steccata," Parma neWarte
no. i (June 1976), p. 66; M. di Giampaolo, "Disegni
Bernardino Gatti," Antologia di bellearte i, no. 4 (Dece
ber 1977), pp. 336, 338; H. Macandrew, Catalogue
Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, 1980), v
3 , Italian Schools: Supplement, p. 262, no. 242-3;
Meyer, in B. Adorni, Santa Maria della Steccata a Par
(Parma, 1982), p. 197, no. 41; D. DeGrazia, Correggioa
His Legacy: Sixteenth Century Emilian Drawings, exh. ca
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1984 , p
276-299, under no. 92.
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p.THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL DRAWINGS BY GATTI THAT
have alternatively been related to his Ascension of 1549 in
San Sigismondo, Cremona, and his Assumption of circa
1560-157 2 in Santa Maria della Steccata, Parma. The
drawing of an apostle in the Ashmolean Museum, Ox-
ford (Parker 1956, no. 243) appears to have preceded the
Museum's sheet, which is squared for transfer. Both are
clearly related to the apostle at the base of the drum in the
Steccata Assumption (DeGrazia 1984, fig. 92b). On the
other hand, there is no reason to feel certain that all sim-
ilar studies must have been made for the same project.
For example, two studies at Chatsworth of apostles (inv.
329, 331) are much closer to figures in the San Sigis-
mondo Ascension than to the apostle in Parma.
Gatti's technique in making these drawings is no-
table. The richly modeled draperies were achieved with
heavy applications of white and deep gray wash. It is rea-
sonably suggested in the Christie's sale catalogue of
drawings from Chatsworth (London, 1984, lot 15) that
he used three-dimensional models in making these
drawings.48 ITALIAN SCHOOL • GATTI