Giorgio Vasari

Paris, Galerie Claude Aubry, Dessins français et italiens du XVIe et du XVIIe siècle dans les collections privées françaises, décembre 1971, no. 112

 

J. Bean, 15th and 16th Century Italian Drawings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1982, sous le no. 263;
C. Monbeig-Goguel, 'Vasari au Vatican', in Revue de l'Art, no. 56, 1982, pp. 65-80, reproduit fig. 13;
E. Güse et A. Perrig, Zeichnungen aus der Toskana, Das Zeitalter Michelangelos, cat. d'exp., Saarland Museum, Saarbrücken, Munich 1997, sous le no. 101, notice du catalogue rédigée par F. Härb; 
M. Kuntz, 'Vincenzo Borghini and Giorgio Vasari: Two drawings for the Cappella Paolina', in The Burlington Magazine, octobre 1999, pp. 594-596, reproduit fig. 6

The following condition report has been provided by Caroline Corrigan, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's, 17-25 rue Charles Graindorge, 93170 Bagnolet, Tel: 33 (0)1 43 63 25 44, Email : caroline.corrigan@wanadoo.fr. Generally in good condition. The sheet has a few tiny scattered light brown spots, a few spots in which the paper is rubbed and two tiny holes in the shy underneath the vault, corresponding to the points of the compass used to trace the line of the arch. The light grey mark along the right-hand pilaster is caused by a defect in the paper. The light brown diagonal line to the right of the latter is due to a line in brown ink on the verso. Some slight losses to the surface on the in the centre of the lower half, caused by silverfish.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Le lien entre notre étude, le dessin de Saint Paul s'adressant à Agrippa au Metropolitan Museum, New York (fig. 1), et l'importante commande de Vasari pour la décoration de la Chapelle Pauline au Vatican, fut établi pour la première fois par Catherine Monbeig-Goguel.  Lorsque Grégoire XIII Buoncompagni fut élu pape le 13 mai 1572, il lança directement une campagne pour reprendre les travaux de décoration au palais du Vatican. Son premier projet fut la Sala Regia, terminée en 1573 par Vasari et ses assistants, sur un programme de l'humaniste Vincenzo Borghini. Le pape s'intéressa ensuite à la Chapelle Pauline où Michel-Ange avait déjà peint la Conversion de saint Paul et la Crucifixion de saint Pierre, probablement achevés en 1545 et 1550, soit un an après la mort de Paul III Farnèse, à l'origine du projet. Vasari fut appelé par le pape à réaliser un décor pour la voûte de la chapelle et autour des fresques de Michel-Ange, sur les murs latéraux. Une lettre de l'artiste au secrétaire du pape, Tolomeo Galli, datée du 20 juin 1573, fait état de ce projet : Vasari s'excuse dans cette lettre de ne pas lui avoir communiqué le programme décoratif de la chapelle et lui promet de l'envoyer dès que Borghini et lui-même l'auront terminé. Comme pour la Sala Regia, Borghini fut à nouveau en charge du programme iconographique. Parmi les sujets imaginés par ce dernier, on retrouve Saint Paul s'adressant à Agrippa et Le Christ donnant les clés à saint Pierre. Selon Borghini, notre dessin devait être placé à gauche de la Crucifixion de saint Pierre de Michel-Ange. Vasari cite par ailleurs Matthieu, chap. 16, verset 19 : 'Quod cumque solveris [super terram erit solutum et in coelis]', soit 'ce que tu délieras sur la terre sera délié dans les cieux'. 

Vasari n'eût jamais l'intention d'exécuter lui-même les fresques de la Chapelle Pauline, et dans sa lettre du 18 juillet 1573, il parle de Lorenzo Sabatini comme l'artiste en charge de leurs réalisations. Nous ignorons la raison pour laquelle le pape refusa de donner suite au projet de Vasari et de Borghini. Sabatini qui réalisa le décor entre 1573 et 1576 remplaça ce sujet par Ananias baptisant saint Pierre, mais semble s'inspirer du dessin de Vasari dont il reprit la même disposition générale des figures et de l'architecture.

Le dessin du Metropolitan et notre étude présentent non seulement les mêmes pilastres corinthiens mais furent également associés par erreur au décor de Vasari réalisé en 1550-52 pour la Cappella del Monte, dans l'église romaine de San Pietro in Montorio.

Nous remercions Florian Härb pour nous avoir renseigné au sujet du travail de Vasari à la Chapelle Pauline.


CHRIST GIVING THE KEYS TO ST PETER

Pen and brown ink, brown wash over black chalk;
inscribed in brown ink, lower centre: QVOD CVNQUE SOLVERIS . Et.c.

Catherine Monbeig-Goguel was the first to link the present study, and also the drawing of St Paul speaking before King Agrippa (fig.1), to Vasari's important commission for the decoration of the Cappella Paolina in the Vatican. On 13 May 1572, Gregory XIII Buoncompagni, was elected to the Papacy. The new Pope rapidly set in motion the completion of decorations in the Vatican Palace left unfinished by several of his predecessors. His first project was the Sala Regia, which was completed in 1573 by Giorgio Vasari and assistants, with the collaboration of the humanist Vincenzo Borghini for the programme. Thereafter, the Pope turned his attention to the Cappella Paolina, where Michelangelo had painted the fresco of the Conversion of St Paul, followed by the Crucifixion of St Peter, probably respectively finished in 1545 and 1550, after the death of Pope Paul III Farnese who had initiated the project. Vasari was asked by the Pope to devise a decorative scheme for the vault of the chapel and the vertical spaces flanking Michelangelo's frescoes on the lateral walls. The earliest surviving record of Vasari's involvement is his letter from Florence, dated 20 June 1573, to the Pope's secretary, Tolomeo Galli, apologizing for not having sent the decorative programme, and assuring Galli that it would be sent as soon as he and Borghini had completed it. As with the Sala Regia, Borghini was responsible for providing the iconographic programme.  Of the subjects proposed in Borghini's invenzione, two are the scenes represented respectively in the drawing in the Metropolitan Museum, St Paul speaking before King Agrippa, and in the present study, Christ giving the Keys to St Peter.  According to Borghini, the latter was to be to the left of Michelangelo's Crucifixion of St Peter. The present drawing includes in Vasari's handwriting the words from Matthew 16,19: Quodcumque solveris [super terram erit solutum et in coelis], 'whatever you make free on earth will be made free in heaven'.

Vasari never intended to execute the frescoes of the Cappella Paolina himself and in his letter of 18 July 1573 he refers to Lorenzo Sabatini as the artist who was to paint them.  It is not known why the programme devised by Vasari and Borghini was rejected by the Pope. Sabatini, who completed the decoration between 1573 and 1576, replaced this subject with Ananias Baptizing St Peter, but must have used this drawing by Vasari for the composition, as it shares the general disposition of the figures and the distinctive background architecture.

Both the present drawing and the study in the Metropolitan are framed with the same Corinthian pilasters and were previously incorrectly associated with Vasari's earlier decoration in the Cappella del Monte of 1550-2, in the Roman church of San Pietro in Montorio.

We are grateful to Florian Härb for providing us with much of the above information regarding Vasari's work in the Capella Paolina.


Fig. 1: Giorgio Vasari, Saint Paul s'adressant à Agrippa, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, no. inv. 63.75.3
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art