School of Raphael Sanzio, late 16th century-early 17th century

School of RAFAEL SANZIO (Urbino, 1483 - Rome, 1520), late 16th century-early 17th century.
"Mercury" and "Venus".
Pair of drawings in sanguine on paper based on the frescoes on the pendentives of the Loggia di Psiche.
With later inscription "Domenichino".
Provenance: Della Vacche family in Rome. They were part of a large collection of antique drawings with many of the most famous Italian and European masters. Acquired from a member of the family.
Measurements: 28,5 x 23,5 cm (drawings); 40,5 x 29,5 cm (frames).
These drawings are based on the frescoes on the pendentives of the Loggia of Psyche, a room on the first floor of the Villa Farnesina in Rome famous for the cycle of frescoes by Raphael and his assistants. They are powerful anatomies, perfectly studied to be seen from a low point of view ("di sotto in sú"), which in the final works manifests itself in the form of effective foreshortenings. The agile figure of Mercury, wearing winged sandals and carrying his caduceus, seems to rise before our eyes, with the drapery billowing around his stocky Greek forms. On the other hand, the beauty and the canon of Venus are of Raphaelesque roots.
Raphael of Sanzio (Urbino, 1483 - Rome, 1520), was and is one of the most respected and recognized painters in the history of art. Noted for his classicism and the use of a mathematical perspective, he managed to adapt the two dimensions of the canvas to a more realistic conception of the representation of a three-dimensional world. Vasari tells in his famous lives, that Raphael eventually had a workshop of fifty pupils and assistants, many of whom later became important artists in their own right, a characteristic that brought great recognition to his work, and in turn a strong influence of his artistic conception. This was arguably the largest workshop team assembled under a single painter. Among them were established masters from other parts of Italy, probably working with their own teams.