Attributed to Alessandro Vellutello

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Purgatorio, Canti XXVIII-XXIX. Virgil, Dante, Stazio and Matilda, Walking in the Garden along the River, Continue to Converse; Apparition of the Seven Lights and of the Elders

Pen and brown ink on paper.

8 1/8 x 11 inches (207 x 280 mm)

Gift of Mr. H.P. Kraus.

1966.12:17

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Notes:

Watermark: none.
Formerly attributed to Italian School, 16th cent.

Inscription:

Inscribed by the artist, in pen and brown ink, at lower left, "da / Dante e udita / cantare metelda / come don[n]a innamorata / cogliendo fiori. / la prega che venghi / alla riva del fiume / et ella viene et di / compagnia vanno / su p[er] la riva di quello / dandoli cogniz[ion?]a [a superscript] di / tutta q[uell]a [a superscript] pianura"; to the right, above this, "q[uell]li [li superscript] 7 angeli cantavano / Osanna. et lunghi(?) .10 . passi / lontano l'uno dall'altro / q[uel]li [li superscript] angeli fanno il pie della croce"; to the right, "metelda cogliendo fiori cantando / come donna innamorata"; below this, "metelda"; throughout, labelling the figures, "V[irgilio]; D[ante], S[tazio], M[etelda], at upper left, 24 . vecchi / fanno il gambo della croce / et son coronati di fior di Aliso / et cantando. Benedetta tue / nel[l]e figlie di adamo et benedette / sieno in eterno le bellezze tue"; to the right, "eunoe fiume"; at upper right, "... [a?]ria [...] come fuoco"; below this, "[...] can[delieri] d oro portati dagli / [a]ngeli. lasci[ano] [nell aere di fumo] / dipinto 7. Liste di piu colori / c[om]e l'arcobaleno"; at lower right, "il splendor [...] / vede dante nella / foresta [...] / de l' aria [...] / come fuoco"; at lower right, near lower edge, "andando metelda su la ripa del fiume et similmente Dante seguiva dal'altra banda(?) / comincio senza posa a cantare un salmo Beati quorum".

Provenance:

J. I. Davis, London; H. P. Kraus (1907-1988), Vienna and New York, by whom presented to the Pierpont Morgan Library in 1966.

Associated names:

Anonymous, Italian School, 16th cent., Formerly attributed to.
Davis, J. Irving, 1889-1967, former owner.
Kraus, Hans Peter, 1907-1988, former owner.
Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321, Divina Commedia.

Bibliography:

Rhoda Eitel-Porter, "Drawings for the Woodcut Illustrations to Alessandro Vellutello's 1544 Commentary on Dante's Comedia", Print Quarterly, XXXVI, March 2019, pp. 3-17
Matthew Collins, "The Forgotten Morgan Dante Drawings, Their Influence on the Marcolini Commedia of 1544, and Their Place within a Visually-Driven Discourse on Dante's Poem," Dante Studies 136 (2018): 93-132.
Lamberto Donati, "Commento ad una serie di disegni del XVI secolo illustranti la Divina Commedia", La Bibliofilia, LXV, 1963, fig. 11.
Adams, Frederick B., Jr., ed. Fifteenth Report to the Fellows of the Pierpont Morgan Library, 1967 & 1968. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1969, p. 91-92.
Pierpont Morgan Library. Review of Acquisitions, 1949-1968. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1969, p. 150.

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Vellutello, Alessandro

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