Study for the Decoration of a Vault

Samacchini worked briefly in Rome but primarily in his native Bologna and surrounding areas. In 1570 he secured the commission to paint the vault of the north transept of the cathedral in the nearby town of Parma. In this drawing, Samacchini's decorative scheme for the transept, a seated prophet of the old Old Testament and a pagan sibyl - both types generally understood to be harbingers of the coming of Christ - are depicted in each of the four corners of the vault, accompanied by putti.

The iconography and style of this refined and polished design find their principal inspiration in Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Ceiling (1508-12), with its alternating monumental figures of sibyls and prophets in a variety of complicated poses. At the same time, the compressed, decorative arrangement of the figures and the crisp, ornamental line are closer to some of the designs of Francesco Salviati, and the Zuccari, artists who were working on the decoration of the Sala Regia in the Vatican Palace at the same time as Samacchini. For these stylistic features, the drawing was previously attributed to Cherubino Alberti.

This study's high degree of finish suggests that it may have served as a prospectus drawing for the patron's approval. Despite its level of detail, however, the composition does not correspond precisely to the painted version. Many subtle changes-for example, in the gesture of the right hand of the prophet Jeremiah-reveal the artist's fastidious working method. The identification of the present study and its connection with the decoration of the Cathedral of Parma is due to Philip Pouncey (1970).

(F.R., 2015)