Ludovico Cardi da Cigoli

Cigoli counts as one of the most influential artists working in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century in Florence, where he established himself as one of the leading painters and architects of the Medici Court. A student of Alessandro Allori (Florence 1535-1607 Florence), he also was influenced by Santi di Tito (Sansepolcro 1536-1602 Florence) and Bernardo Buontalenti (Florence 1531-1608 Florence). Cigoli brought to painting a new clarity and naturalism characteristic of the Baroque style that came to the fore during the Counter-Reformation. This exceptional sheet was drawn in preparation for one of Cigoli's most monumental and significant works, The Third Apparition of Saint Peter (John 21:8-11), which was likely commissioned by Niccolò Carducci, with the supervision of Ferdinand I de'Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany (1549-1609), for his chapel in the cathedral of San Francesco in Livorno, and executed by the artist around 1607. The painting now belongs to the Galleria Palatina, Pitti Palace. The subject also been identified as The Calling of the Apostles Andrew and Peter (Mark 1:16-18). However it is much more likely to represent the apparition of Christ, after his resurrection, according to the Gospel of John 21:8-11. In this account Christ, having instructed his disciples to cast a net for fish, invites them to come ashore. The disciples come and see a fire of coals with fish upon it and bread. They pull up their net, heavy with fish, but it does not break. The numerous other studies that exist for this composition attest to the care with which the artist prepared the finished work; here we see him using the pen medium to fix the positions and dynamic action of the central figural group. Despite Cigoli's importance in the history of art, the Morgan to date counted in its holdings only one other autograph work by the artist, a figure study drawn with brush. The current work, a compositional drawing, in pen, is a marvelous addition to the Morgan's collection, which contains a drawing, presumed to be by a member of Cigoli's workshop, related to the same composition. -Laura Zukerman