There is no shortage of copies at Old Masters auctions after Michelangelo, but ‘Michelangelo’s followers’ At the Vienna Dorotheum sale Looked different. First, it was huge, he exceeded 2.5 m in height and consisted of several pieces of paper. It looked like a cartoon, preparatory work to transfer the design onto the frescoed surface. Partly rubbed, but energetic and confident. It is also partially painted, with a large and bold brushstroke. The catalog said “Tempera”. Michelangelo painted in tempera. Surely it can’t be…
I zoomed in further. The large bearded figure resting his head on his hand was the prophet Jeremiah from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He has a brooding face, presumably mourning the fall of Jerusalem, but has long been recognized as a self-portrait, said to reflect Michelangelo’s despondency at being forced to paint the ceiling. It is said. And interestingly, there were differences between the drawing and the ceiling Jeremiah. His left hand was placed more to the right, his shoulder was in a different position, his gaze, and even his feet.Why would a copyist do this?
No large preparatory drawings from the Sistine Chapel survive.but i found four cartoon Found in Michelangelo’s trunk after his death. One was described as a life-size male figure. Now I was really excited. Was the painting of Dorotheum recorded in Michelangelo’s mansion?Perhaps why Michelangelo decided to keep it?Was there a chance he could buy it for €6,000?
I have booked a flight to Vienna. I told her why and insisted on betting her farm (actually her farm) on her lifelong sleeper. Dorotheum is one of my favorite auction house girlfriends. Beautiful Rooms is the best place in the world to sell Old Masters paintings. Everything looks great, even the copy. When I got there, the painting was hung so high that I had to glance at Jeremiah’s feet. I know next to nothing about the Old Master painting, but I thought it was a nice leg.
I went home and continued my research. The British Museum has one of his four. cartoon kept by Michelangelo, EpiphaniaThe cartoon belonged to Thomas Lawrence, an important collector of Michelangelo’s paintings, who purchased it directly from Michelangelo’s heirs. A search of Lawrence’s collection revealed that he had a full-size copy of the oil painting. Jeremiah It’s by an artist named William Bewick. And to his surprise, online he found an image of Bewick’s copy and found that it was an almost exact reproduction of the Dorotheum painting. Jeremiah Ceiling of the completed Sistine.
For about a minute I thought I cracked it. Did Lawrence own the original painting and was it copied by Bewick? Can the painting of Dorotheum be traced back to Michelangelo’s heirs? Did you
of course not. Lawrence sent Bewick to Rome in 1826 to copy the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Bewick’s letter reveals how he obtained permission to erect scaffolding and began making copies in oil until one day the Pope complained about the smell of paint. So he Bewick decided to make a cartoon in the style of Michelangelo. He used multiple strips of paper and used odorless tempera. And that was his comic now in Dorotheum. It sold for 25,000 euros for him, but not for me.