Raphael Sanzio, da Urbino (1483--1520) - Sistine Chapel cartoons
[Loggie di Rafaele nel Vaticano. Parts 1--2. French. 1783]
Architecture et ornemens de la loge du Vaticain ouvrage du renommé Raffael Sanzius d'Urbin contenant XXXVI tables, qui forment les XIV pilastres, les deux portes, le coupé, et la perspective de toute la loge
[Venice]:, publié à Venise par Santini,, 1783.
Etch. t.-pl., etch. frontis., [61] etch. pl. (26 aquat.) ; 67.5 cm. (1°)

The engraved title is printed within a decorative frame printed from a separate copper; in the title, 'Contenant XXXVI Tables .... Toute La Loge' is printed on a cancel slip pasted over the original text 'Contenant XXVIII Tables, qui jointes deux a deux forment Les XIV Pilastres De La Même Loge'. The influential suite of plates depicting the decorative scheme of the pilasters and pillars in Raphael's famous 'Logge' of the Vatican was first published in three parts in 1772--77 (q.v.). This is a Venetian copy which is usually found with the title-plate in Italian reading Architettura ed ornati della loggia del Vaticano opera del celebre Raffaele Sanzio da Urbino consistente in fogli XXVIII imperiali che uniti a due a due formano li XIV pilastri di detta loggia; no other copies have been traced with the title-plate in French. The presence of the cancel slip on the title-plate suggests that it initially consisted of the 28 plates from part 1 of the original work numbered I--XIV, I--XIV, intended to be joined together to form 14 plates depicting the pilasters, to which other plates were added at a later stage for a total of 36 plates (not counting the title-plate and frontispiece) when joined together as intended. These consist of three plates which joined together form a plan and elevation of the 'Logge' and four plates lettered A, A, B, B intended to form two plates depicting the two doors from part 1, and 26 plates, numbered I--XIII, I--XIII and intended to be joined together to form 13 plates depicting the vaults, lunettes and spandrels, from part 2; in the Venetian copy, the part 2 plates are etched and aquatinted rather than only etched. The frontispiece with a prospective view and portrait medallion is a copy of the 1772 title-plate. See Weinreb Cat. 40, no. 323 for a description of a similar copy with the title-plate in Italian.

Copy Notes The Soane copy is bound with the XIII, XIII plates from part 2 of the original work preceding the XIV, XIV plates from part 1. Bought from John Lord on 6 December 1817 together with a 'marble inlaid slab', and 'Le R[oy?]s Architecture' (presumably one of Soane's four copies of Julien-David Le Roy's Les ruines des plus beaux monuments de la Grèce, 1758, q.v.; 2nd ed. 1770, q.v.) for £26 5s. (Archives 16/12/65).

Binding C19th half diced russia, gilt double-ruled borders, marbled-paper boards, gilt- and blind-tooled spine, gilt lettered 'Architecture & Ornamens De La Loge Du Vaticain Raffael D'Urbin A Venise 1783'.

Reference Number 4254

Additional Names Vatican Palace (Vatican City). Loggie; Architettura ed ornati della loggia del Vaticano opera del celebre Raffaele Sanzio da Urbino