Sketches for an Altarpiece for San Sebastiano, Venice

Dateca. 1620

MediumPen and brown ink

Credit LineGift of John Howett Fund, the Curators' Council, and the Art History Department Fund

Dimensions7 1/2 x 10 5/16 in. (19 x 26.2 cm)

Object number1999.010

Label TextPalma il Giovane was the most esteemed artist in Venice following Tintoretto's death in 1594. In an effort to transform the Venetian artistic tradition, Palma il Giovane combined disegno, the process of drawing and design associated with central Italy, with colorito, the application of color characteristic of Venetian painting. To achieve this combination he drew constantly and collaborated in the production of Italy's first drawing manuals. Sketches for an Altarpiece gives us a glimpse into Palma il Giovane's creative process, and appears to be a preliminary work for the altarpiece The Madonna and Child in Glory with Saints Jerome and Charles Borromeo, painted for the Church of San Sebastiano, Venice. The repeated groups of figures reveal the artist's exploration of various compositional possibilities.
Exhibition HistoryRecent Acquisitions of Old Masters: Durer to Delacroix, Michael C. Carlos Museum, October 6, 2001 - January 28, 2002
Old Masters: Highlights of the Works on Paper Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 15 - December 6, 2009
Published ReferencesKarl & Faber, Kunst Alter und Neuer Meister, Auktion 178 (6./7. Dezember 1989), 34, lot 182.
MCCM Newsletter, January - February 2000.
MCCM Newsletter, September - November 2009.
Michael C. Carlos Museum: Highlights of the Collections (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2011), 135.

ProvenanceWith Karl & Faber, Munich, Germany, December 6-7, 1989, lot 182. Ex Wolfgang Ratjen Foundation, Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Purchased by MCCM from Flavia Ormond Fine Arts Limited, London, England.

Status

Not on view

Collections