ITALIAN SCHOOL, 16TH CENTURY, AFTER PIETRO BUONACCORSI, CALLED PERINO DEL VAGA (FLORENCE 1501-1547 ROME)

This carefully executed drawing of impressive size is a largely faithful reproduction of Perino del Vaga’s famous ceiling decoration at the Palazzo Doria, Genoa, painted in the early 1530s. The drawing is not copied after Giulio Bonasone’s engraving after the fresco, as is evident from the many differences, especially in the number of figures in the background (see Perino del Vaga. Tra Raffaello e Michelangelo, exhib. cat., Mantua, Palazzo Te, 2001, no. 104, ill.). Certain differences from the painting, such as the head of the putto behind Jupiter’s leg (absent in the fresco), suggest the present replica could be made after a drawing, perhaps the modello shown by the artist to his patron. Its style and technique suggest a date within the artist’s lifetime, unlike later copies, such as one in watercolour at the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. E.5265-1958).