Rare 16th-century sketches return to Florence

Rare 16th-century sketches return to Florence

The Uffizi has acquired two rare 16th-century sketches by Giovanfrancesco Rustici and Giovanni Catesi at an auction in New York.

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Fri 11 May 2018 1:13 PM

 

The Uffizi Galleries’ Department of Prints and Drawings has gained two rare 16th-century sketches. The sketches, each consisting of left and right pages, by Giovanfrancesco Rustici and Giovanni Catesi were acquired at an auction in New York earlier this year.

 

A renowned sculptor and collaborator of Leonardo da Vinci, Rustici crafted La predica del Battista, the three bronze figures on the north door of Florence’s Baptistery, now in the Opera del Duomo Museum. His rare penned study depicts a female figure with on one side and a beggar on the other.

 

Catesi, on the other hand, is best-known for having been commissioned to cast the bronze doors of Pisa Cathedral in 1598. His sketches present a study of two men on the left page and an ornamental motif with leaves and an elegant figure on the right. This page is a particularly significant acquisition for the gallery as it contains Catesi’s only known sketches.

 

Both Rustici and Catesi’s sketches were penned in Florence.

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