The Virgin and Child enthroned appearing to ten saints
1607 - 1610.Not on display
The traditional attribution to Poccetti (1548-1612) is unconvincing, if one compares the conception and execution of the present study with that of the especially fine Poccetti drawing (D01745). Indeed, the delicacy of touch and the elegant compositional structure point rather to Ludovico Carraci´s late style of drawing. Among the many examples in pen-and-wash that come close in handling to the Prado drawing is the St. Hyacinth in the British Museum, London, where similarly elegant, almost dainty effects of light and shade are to be found (inv. no. Pp. 3-2).
The composition shows the heavens opening to reveal the Virgin and Child seated on a monumental throne surrounded by a choir of music-making angels, as two further angels place a crown on the Virgin´s head. The building with a campanile capped by a spire glimpsed in the distance between the two converging lines of standing saints remains to be identified. It does not appear to represent Bologna, which is normally symbolized by its two learning towers. It may represent Piacenza, where the master was much employed in the later part of his career.
According to Babette Bohn, to whom the writer sent a photo of the drawing, this sketch may be dated around 1607-1610, and the subject may be the Madonna di SS. Luca, Bologna.
Turner, Nicholas, From Michelangelo to Annibale Carracci. A century of Italian drawings from the Prado, Chicago, Art Services International, 2008, p.285
