Lot 403: FEDERICO ZUCCARO

SANT' ANGELO IN VADO, MARCHES 1540/42 - 1609 ANCONA RECTO: EARLY DESIGNS FOR THE CEILING IN THE SALA D'ERCOLE, PALAZZO FARNESE, CAPRAROLA VERSO: DESIGNS FOR TWO LUNETTES AND HERCULES Pen and brown ink (recto); pen and brown ink and wash (verso); bears inscription in pen and brown ink, recto: Disegno B. Campi en Venezia / 1616 questo...AntoA.... 203 by 272 mm

Sale, London, Christie's, 4 July 1995, lot 155, purchased by Ralph Holland

This fascinating sheet contains early designs for the ceiling of the Sala d'Ercole at Caprarola (fig. 1).1 Federico worked on the ceiling from 1566-69 but never completed the project, owing to a disagreement with his patron, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who later employed Jacopo Bertoia to finish the work. Federico Zuccaro was only able to complete the large central composition, Hercules Swimming in the Lago di Vico and one of the surrounding compositions, Hercules plunges his Staff into the Earth.2 The present sheet of studies, recto, shows Federico working on the layout for the ceiling with separate studies for Hercules plunging his staff into the ground. Two other sketches here are preliminary ideas for Hercules pulling his Staff from the ground, the composition which was later realised by Bertoia. On the verso is another drawing for the figure of Hercules and two other lunette designs. James Mundy confirmed the attribution to Federico Zuccaro at the time of the Christie's sale in 1995. 1. D. DeGrazia, Bertoia, Mirola and the Farnese Court, Bologna 1991, fig. 76 2. Ibid., fig. 77