Scene from the Last Judgment, Study for the Fresco Decoration of One of the Segments of the Cupola of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence

Federico Zuccaro (Zuccari)

1576–79 · Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over red chalk on ecru paper. The paper is cut to the shape of a segment of an octagonal cupola · Drawings and Prints

Carefully executed by Federico Zuccaro in preparation of his frescoes for the monumental dome of the Florence Cathedral (1574-79), this drawing corresponds, with certain variations, to the third segment of the octagonal cupola to the right of the principal segment - where the Judging Christ is represented. Raffaello Borghini in his account ‘Il Riposo’ (Florence, 1584) extensively discussed the program for the frescoes on the dome, and praised Zuccaro for his "invenzione" (creativity and invention) of the scheme. The present drawing is strictly related to a very coherent group of sheets realized by Zuccaro in preparation of the dome’s decoration now held in Amsterdam, Paris, Vienna, Chicago, Florence and Darmstadt. Like the present sheet, several of these drawings have been cut down to the shape of the segment of the cupola. Zuccaro may have cut the drawings together to make a small tridimensional model of his project.

Artist

Federico Zuccaro (Zuccari)

Date

1576–79

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over red chalk on ecru paper. The paper is cut to the shape of a segment of an octagonal cupola

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1961