A Putto Seated on a Frame

ca. 1538–40

Not on view

Due to his expeditious production of paintings, Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli became a painter of note in the competitive artistic arena of Parma during the late 1530s and 40s. A native of Viadana (like Parmigianino, his better-known master and kinsman by marriage), Bedoli was considered Parmigianino's successor in the Parmese school, according to Giorgio Vasari, Bedoli's first biographer (1568). This rapidly executed drawing fragment is typical of the artist. He was a particularly gifted draftsman, perhaps more so than as a painter, evident here from his luminous use of wash and his bold control of line, as well as his ease in portraying the foreshortened pose of the putto. As has recently been proposed, this delightful drawing is connected to one of Bedoli's most important projects, the frescoes in the choir of Parma Cathedral of about 1538-40, which represent a dazzling composition of figures set within illusionistically painted architecture.
(Carmen C. Bambach, 2009)

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: A Putto Seated on a Frame
Artist: Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli (Italian, Viadana ca. 1505–ca. 1570 Parma)
Date: ca. 1538–40
Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white gouache, over traces of leadpoint or black chalk
Dimensions: sheet: 4 3/4 x 2 9/16 in. (12 x 6.5 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Philippe and Edith de Montebello, 2008
Object Number: 2008.334.2
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Head of Bearded Man (recto); Head of a Girl (verso), Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli Italian, Red and black chalk (recto); red and black chalk, with pen and gray-brown ink (verso) — Head of Bearded Man (recto); Head of a Girl (verso)
Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli
Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola)
1503–40

The Annunciation, Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli Italian, Oil on wood — The Annunciation
Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli

Standing Female Figure and Ornamental Framework, Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of black chalk; squared in black chalk — Standing Female Figure and Ornamental Framework
Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli
ca. 1547–53

Jupiter and Juno: Study for the "Furti di Giove" Tapestries, Perino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi) Italian, Pen and dark brown ink, brush and brown and gray wash, highlighted with white gouache — Jupiter and Juno: Study for the "Furti di Giove" Tapestries
Perino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi)
ca. 1532–35

Amya Petitioning Faustus for the Custody of Saint Mamas, Jean Cousin the Elder French, Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, with white gouache, over black chalk — Amya Petitioning Faustus for the Custody of Saint Mamas
Jean Cousin the Elder
ca. 1543

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