Inscribed in ink in a contemporary hand, top: Sansovino Sculpt... from a Marble Frize in the Church of the Madonna del popoli; lower left: in the Vatican. Gio. d'Udine pinxt.; lower right: in the Vatican. Gio. d'Udine pinxt. and Lodovico Tesi delin.^t

• Undated

Pen, white and gold heightening on blue washed paper 280 x 544

Ludovico Tesi

Countermark

This drawing is the counterpart to Adam vol.26/202 and both were possibly acquired by James Adam in Rome. Both are described on the bound list as 'Remove'd from Volume 14, when it was rebound in 1913'; the handwriting is that of Walter Spiers (Sir John Soane's Museum curator 1904-17), who produced a catalogue of the Adam volumes in 1909 that included these drawings in volume 14. They were presumably transferred here because they were considered the odd-men-out in a volume otherwise composed of ceilings and wall decorations by Robert Adam. However, the two drawings attributed to Ludovico Tesi were with schemes of Giuseppe Manocchi (c.1731-82) (see Adam vol.14/96-103 and 14/106-110), and Tesi may have had some connection with Manocchi. The English inscription on both drawings suggests they were made with the British market in mind. Spiers may also have had some reason or evidence for associating these two drawings with James Adam, apart from their connection with the Vatican logge. Tesi was a relation of the more distinguished Mauro Tesi (1730-66) whom James Adam probably met in Bologna in 1760 (see J. Fleming, Robert Adam and His Circle in Edinburgh & Rome, London, 1962, p.275). Alternatively, he may be Ludovico Tesi, 1731-82, who was a pupil of Pompeo Batoni (1708-87).
For Jacopo Sansovino (1486-1570)'s work in Rome, see Bruce Boucher, The Sculpture of Jacopo Sansovino, 2 vols., London, 1991.

Drawing

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