Saint John the Evangelist (recto; Cartoon for a Fresco); Saint Mark (verso; Cartoon for a Fresco)

Francesco Salviati (Francesco de' Rossi) Italian

Not on view

This rare, bold composition was a preparatory cartoon (full-scale drawing) for a fresco painted in 1548–49 in the private chapel of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in the Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome. It is the only surviving cartoon by Salviati. The artist posed the male figure in a relief-like plane, with an elegant contrapposto (turning of the body and limbs), to create suggestive profile and frontal views that enhance the visual power of the image. The drawing is executed with dynamic contrasts of finish and unfinish; the charcoal is at times seamlessly blended for polished, luminous effects, while at other times bold strokes applied in parallel and cross-hatching are left evident for the expressive effect.

Saint John the Evangelist (recto; Cartoon for a Fresco); Saint Mark (verso; Cartoon for a Fresco), Francesco Salviati (Francesco de' Rossi) (Italian, Florence 1510–1563 Rome), (Recto and verso) Charcoal, highlighted with white chalk, on blue paper; outlines heavily stylus-incised on recto, and partly so on verso

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recto