Sunday, September 25, 2016

16th-century Drawings by Giulio Romano

Giulio Romano
Winged putti with escutcheon
1540s
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Frieze of Acanthus Scroll
1540s
drawing
British Museum

The British Museum holds a large collection of drawings by Giulio Romano (1499-1546). More obviously than the drawings of many other Renaissance masters, these declare themselves as working documents, created to function for specific practical purposes. One of the luminaries of Raphael's large and famous workshop, Giulio supervised completion of several projects after Raphael's sudden death in 1520. Soon after, with the same collaborative model and some of the same artists, he was able to accept and fulfill large commissions in his own name.  

Giulio Romano
Fresco study for Palazzo del Te, Mantua
1530s
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Fresco studies of Putti and Cerberus
ca. 1530
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Fresco study for The Virtues of Federico Gonzaga
1530s
drawing
British Musuem

Giulio Romano
Fresco studies of Mars and Mercury in niches
1540s
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Ostrich
1520s
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Tapestry design for Trellis with Putti
16th century
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Woman on Dragon
16th century
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Studies for an Annunciate Virgin
16th century
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Entombment
1530s
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Diana of Ephesus
1530s
drawing
British Museum

Giulio Romano
Design for a Salt Cellar
16th century
drawing
British Museum

attributed to Giulio Romano
Fresco cartoon - Heroic Head
16th century
drawing
British Museum

I am grateful to the British Museum for making these images available.