The Drawings of Michelangelo and His Followers in the Ashmolean Museum

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0521551331 c 01 -p 2 CUNY 160 /Joannides 052155 133 1 January 11 , 2007 10 : 5

CATALOGUES 35–36 WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY AUTOGRAPH SHEETS 193

Handling relates to Windsor labours of Hercules. Com-

position the forerunner of theVenus and Cupid.BMand

Windsor copies listed.). Dussler, 1959 ,no. 624 (Copy.).

Berenson, 1961 ,no. 1718 (As 1903 / 1938 .). Goldscheider,

1965 ,no. 72 (As 1951 .). Hartt, 1971 ,no. 466 (15 4 0?. “Per-

haps a presentation drawing.”). Gere and Turner, 1975 ,

no. 121 (Autograph, c.153 0.). De Tolnay, 1976 , Cor-

pus II, no. 297 (c.153 0. The composition followsVenus

and Cupidand anticipates the Morgan LibraryDavid and

Goliathdrawings.). Joannides, 2002 a,p. 200 (Relation to

Michelangelo’sVenus and Cupiddesign of 1532 .).

CATALOGUE 36

A Salamander Amid Flames?

184 6. 66 ;R. 53 a; P.II 320 ; Corpus 304

Dimensions: 133 × 210 mm

Medium

Black chalk.

Condition

Undulation and distortion are visible within the centre

of the sheet. There are edge nicks toned in with graphite

on the backboard, corner, and edge; minor infills; some

abrasions; accretions; and a vertical incised line, possibly

a tear. There is general discolouration from foxing. The

primary support is drummed by four edges to the back-

board of the mount so the verso is not visible.

Discussion

The scene is clearly unitary and the mood allegorical,

although the recoiling figure and the zephyr were added

byMichelangelo after he drew the animal. De Tolnay’s

interpretation of this drawing, which sees it as an allegory

of love and relates it to a madrigal by Michelangelo seems

very reasonable.

Se ‘l foco dal tutto nuoce

et me arde et non cuoce,

non`e mia molta ne sua men virtute,

ch’io sol trove salute

ual salamandra, la dove altri muore;`

n ́esochi in pace a tal martir m’ha volte.

However, while the zephyr on the left might well be fan-

ning the flames, the recoiling figure cannot very plausibly

be seen as Orpheus.

Several scholars have suggested that there might be a

relation to Franc ̧ois Ier: It was well known in Italy that

the salamander was one of his emblems, and Raphael

had included them in a design for an incense burner to