The Pitti Palace: descriptions of sculpture, including bas reliefs: 832/5.f.15

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: 15
• Location: Upper right
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Inscription present: [i] preceding six words crossed through in brown ink; [ii] preceding three words crossed through in brown ink;

• Text: + Pitti Palace as you enter / the court yard of the Palace you see / a dark niche facing on the right hand / in another[i] a fountain, on the right / hand in another niche is the group / of Menelaus supporting Patroclus / like another at the foot of the old / bridge which Stands on a fountain / they are both Antiques but that / in the Pitti has been restored so that / the figures are more erect than the / other, in a niche on the left is Hercu- / - les going to d[ii] with Anteus in his arms / going to dash him on the ground, the next / niche to the left holds an Antique copy / of the Hercules Farnese same size as / the original, the corresponding niche to the right holds another Hercules. on / the Pedestal of the Farnese Hercules is a / bas releif[sic] of a Male in bronze, who brought / the Stones, wood, Columns &c for the building
• Location: Recto
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Inscription present: [i] preceding word crossed through in brown ink; [ii] preceding word crossed through in brown ink

• Text: Santa Annunziata has a Porti[i] / Court before it painted by Andrea del / Sarto much paraised amongst the pictures / are some in which nature is admirably / imitated without any manner or affect[?] / on much like works of Massaccio, particularly / one in which there is a friar leaning over / the dead body of another, with 2 Children / on the ground one dead, the other raising / itself, this picture is the very perfection of / painting & is what Ghiberti's works / are in basrelief / Chiesa del Carmini contains the[ii] some / works of Massaccio, many other in the / same Church were destroyed by fire an / irreperable loss to the arts
• Location: Verso
• Method of creation: Brown ink

Identification numbers

Accession number: 832/5.f.15
Primary reference Number: 38133
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