Descriptions of bronzes, and 'Painter's Portraits': 832/5.f.7

Materials used in production

Brown ink

Components of the work

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

Techniques used in production

Handwriting : Pen and brown ink on laid paper

Inscription or legends present

• Text: 7
• Location: Upper right
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Inscription present: [i] partially covered by a patch of a lighter brown ink; [ii] the preceding five words above the line; [iii] the preceding three words crossed through by brown ink line, the following three words appearing above the line; [iv] the preceding two words crossed through in brown ink; [v] preceding two words appear above the line in a lighter brown ink; [vi] the preceding three words crossed through by a pair of brown ink lines; [vii] preceding word crossed through in brown ink; [viii] preceding word crossed through in brown ink; [ix] preceding word crossed through in brown ink

• Text: Donatello's[i] David in bronze another by Francorelli / or Vincenzo Rossi[ii] / a Copy of / mean nature in a hard poor Gothic manner / &c many antiques some beautiful / in one of these rooms, the most particular[iii] there is a modern / is a[iv] Cupid by Donatello[v] the size of a boy of 10 years old / with the symbols of many other Divinities / in his person & on the plinth, from a passage / in Dante / Painters Portraits / A Cupid either seems to[vi] throwing an / apple at Jupiter from the same[vii] an Idea in / one of Horace's odes, a most beautiful statue / for originality of conception, perfection of / character, &[viii] life motion & delicacy, has / scarcely an equa[ix] no equal I think in the / Gallery, this stands in the middle of the / same chamber with the portrait of M:e / Angleo, this portrait seems to me to be a / copy from that of the same great man / in the Senator Caprara's Palace in / Bologna, in the next chamber is, the vase / said to be by Phidias, also the portraits of / Raffeale[sic], Vinci Massaccio, Romano, &c / Christ:n Seybolt has finished his picture so wonderfully / as to paint a face reflected from the glass in which he saw / his face in the eyes of the portrait
• Location: Recto
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Inscription present: [i] crossed out; [ii] crossed through

• Text: Corridore against the wall are hung pictures / specimens of the great masters a collection so / prodigious & excellent as to astonish the beholder / above these historical specimens & near the / cieling[sic] are hung p[i] authentic portraits of the great Characters of Modern universal history / Kings of France, Kings of England, Kings / of Sweden Naples &c Emperors of the Turks / The Houses of Sforza, Estesse[?] with great & distin- / quished Characters in Religion Politics Arts / & Sciences; here is a set of Antique Marble / busts of Emperors, Empresses & their Children / from Julius to Carinus with very few omissions / very useful as well for the likenesses as for[ii] to / shew the style of sculpture in the different / ages, amongst other works which for number / & beauty almost exceed description are the / following statues, Drunken Bacchus by M:l Angelo / A lesser Bacchus holding up a bunch of grapes / with a little faun sitting by his side by / Sansovino a cast of this in the Royal Academy / of London Antiques / A group of Bacchus standing leaning on a faun, extraordinary grace in both the attitudes, the whole finely composed & exceeding
• Location: Verso
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Identification numbers

Accession number: 832/5.f.7
Primary reference Number: 37939
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