Description of sculpture: Benvenuto Cellini; 'John Bologna': 832/5.f.3

Materials used in production

Brown ink
Grey ink
Graphite

Components of the work

Support composed of laid paper
Leaf Size Height 213 mm Width 150 mm
Recto
Verso

Inscription or legends present

• Text: 3
• Location: Recto, upper right corner
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Inscription present: [i] the preceding four words crossed through in brown ink, the three following words appear above this deletion

• Text: who is chained to rock, her Parents & / friends are standing by , there is consider- / _ble merit in it, but there something / of a flamy appearance in the composition / & a terrible character in the whole / there is the same appearance in the figures / which stand in the niches in the 4 sides / of the Pedestal, in the front is Jupiter / at the back Mercury on one side Minerva / on the other Venus & Cupid, Benvenuto / might well be vain of this group, for except / M:l Angelo & John of Bologna, he certainly / had not his equal in that or the preceding / ages amongst the restorers of Art & it is / wonderful to find a group of that size should be the work of man whose whole emplyment / was chasing little figures on plates & ewers / John Bologna there a very fine group / rape of the Sabines the size of nature[i] about 8 feet / by this Artist it is in marble the small casts / of it are common in England a basrelief in bronze / of the same subject on the pannel of the / Pedestal is very fine also, the Duke of / Richmond had a cast of this
• Location: Recto
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Inscription present: the numbers 1-7 appearing throughout

• Text: Arno; Gallery / Palazzo / vecchio
• Location: Verso, relating to drawing, from top to bottom of leaf
• Method of creation: Brown ink

• Text: 1 Judith & Holofernes by Donatello
• Location: Verso, below drawing
• Method of creation: Grey ink

• Text: 2 Perseus & Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini / 4 Hercules & Cacus 12 feet high by Bandinelle / 3 rape of the Sabines by John of Bologna / 5 David 12 feet high by Bandinelli / 6 Neptune on the fountain 12 ft by d:o bronze satyrs &c
• Location: Verso, below the above
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Identification numbers

Accession number: 832/5.f.3
Primary reference Number: 37898
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Thursday 20 May 2021 Last processed: Tuesday 13 June 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints