Group of Vignettes copied from the Vatican Loggias

This group consists of 6 sheets of paper containing 39 drawings executed as grisailles or brunailles, in pen and ink with wash. The drawings are arranged in neat rows and present as vignettes inspired by Roman cameos. In reality they copy details from the pilaster decorations in the Vatican Loggias, executed by Raphael and his workshop in the early 16th century. The grisaille-nature of the drawings suggest that they were likely copied after the print series reproducing the wall decorations that was published in the third quarter of the 18th century by Giovanni Volpato and Giovanni Ottaviani. This publication gave access to parts of the Vatican palace that were otherwise not accessible to many. The cameos and vignettes designed by Raphael and workshop were inspired by Classical Antiquity and therefore, in turn, also adhered closely to the new Neoclassical taste. In some cases, the order of the drawings neatly follows the location of the original decorations on the walls of the loggias, while in other cases they are drawn out of order.