Three preparatory drawings have been newly attributed to Sandro Botticelli following research carried out prior to a key exhibition on the Renaissance master.
“Botticelli Drawings”, organized by the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco will stage 60 works on loan from 42 institutions. The show aims to draw attention to the importance of drawing in Botticelli’s convenient. It is due to take place from November 18 to February 11, 2024.
The findings were made following extensive research by Furio Rinaldi, curator of drawings and prints at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), which manages the Legion of Honor. The preparatory drawings are linked to the paintings The Cestello Annunciation, Adoration of the MagiAnd Virgin and Child with the young Saint John the Baptist. This last painting will be presented alongside the drawing following a loan from the Louvre.
Sandro Botticelli, “Head of a Man in Close Profile Looking Left”, c. 1468-70. Image: Christ Church Photo Gallery.
“I’m excited to share my new findings,” Rinaldi said in a statement. “These proposed new attributions will help lay the foundations for a fuller understanding of Botticelli’s artistic production and the field of Italian. Renaissance art in general.
Additionally, the exhibit promises to make several more awards at a later date, a museum representative confirmed to Artnet News in an email.
Despite Botticelli’s legacy and lasting imprint on today’s popular culture, the exhibit cites figures like Cindy Sherman and jean paul Gaultier as devotees – his drawings received limited attention. This is partly due to the small number of extant drawings – less than 30 attributed works. Another difficulty is that Botticelli’s drawings are often stylistically different from larger painted works.
Sandro Botticelli “Two partial studies of a profile” circa 1475 Image: courtesy Galerie des Uffizi
The preparatory drawings for Adoration of the Magi And Virgin and Child with the young Saint John the Baptist are part of the Oxford collection Church of Christ Picture Gallery and have previously been cited as the work of an anonymous 15th century artist. Rinaldi came to his conclusion after technical and stylistic analysis and believes the designs were likely cut from the same sheet of paper.
The third attributed drawing comes from the graphic fund of the Uffizi Gallery. Rinaldi is convinced that the resemblance between the profile of the Archangel Gabriel in the sketch and THE Annunciation of Cestello the paint makes it a match.
Sandro Botticelli, detail from “The Annunciation of Cestello” 1489. Image: courtesy Uffizi Gallery
“Furio Rinaldi did outstanding research in the years leading up to our Botticelli exhibit,” said Thomas P. Campbell, director of the San Francisco Museums of Fine Arts. “This promises to be a groundbreaking presentation on the centrality of drawing to the practice of this world-renowned artist.”
See more images of works that will be on display at the Legion of Honor Museum below.
Sandro Botticelli, “Devout Jews at Pentecost”, ca. 1505. Image: Courtesy Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt.
Sandro Botticelli, “Madonna and Child with the young Saint John the Baptist”, 1470-1475. Image: Print Collector/Getty Images of the Louvre Museum.
Sandro Botticelli, “Judith with the Head of Holofernes”, ca. 1497-1500. Image: Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.
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