View of a Vaulted Loggia at the Villa Madama

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Drawing details

Artist: Formerly attributed to Leighton, Lord, Frederic (1830-1896), Baron of Stretton, P.R.A., painter and sculptor
Title: View of a Vaulted Loggia at the Villa Madama
Date: 1852-55
Media: Pencil and watercolour on white paper
Dimensions: 41.0 x 29.5 cm
Location: Leighton House Museum
Picture credit: Leighton House Museum, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Reference number: LHO/D/0437 p.11
Inscriptions: Inscribed lower right "Villa Madama" in pencil, possibly in the artist's hand.

Interpretation

Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, cousin of the reigning pontiff Leo X, ordered the villa built on a prominent site against the lowermost slopes of Monte Mario, on the edge of Rome. The plan was designed by Raphael, who then left the execution (started in 1518) to his disciples, one of the most brilliant teams ever assembled on a site: Antonio da Sangallo the Younger produced the final plans and supervised the actual construction.

Description

Page from a sketchbook. View of three bays of a loggia at the Villa Madama with painted decoration in vaults and spandrels picked out in watercolour. A hatted male figure stands against a wall at the far end of the loggia. The view through the arches is not shown. 

Provenance

Presented to Leighton House Museum by 1926