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The Goddess Brizo

Drawing
ca. 1540 - 1609 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Zuccaro, Federico (artist)
Place of origin
Italy (drawn)

Pen and ink and wash drawing heightened with white

Object details

Category
Drawings
Object type
Drawing
TitleThe Goddess Brizo (published title)
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink and wash heightened with white
Pen and Ink
Wash
Paper
Drawing
Brief description
Drawing, The Goddess Brizo, by Frederico Zuccaro, Italian School, pen and ink and wash, ca. 1540-1609
Physical description
Pen and ink and wash drawing heightened with white
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 216mm
Style
Italian School
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
Inscribed in ink (by the elder or younger Jonathan Richardson) 'h. 37' ( )
Credit line
Purchased, 1876
Object history
PROVENANCE Padre Resta; Lord Somers (the inscription refers to a ms. in the British Museum which is a transcript of Resta’s notes on the drawings first in his and then in Lord Somer’s collection; see Popham, Resta; also Lugt 2981 and Lugt, Supplement, p. 419); bought 1876
Associated object
8091:2 (Set)
Bibliographic references
  • Ward-Jackson, Peter, Italian Drawings. Volume I. 14th-16th century, London, 1979, cat. 418, p. 192, illus. The following is the full text of the entry: ZUCCARO, FEDERICO (c. 1540-1609) 418 The goddess Brizo Inscribed in ink (by the elder or younger Jonathan Richardson) 'h. 37’ Pen and ink and wash heightened with white; circular 8 ½ (216) diameter 8091.1 PROVENANCE Padre Resta; Lord Somers (the inscription refers to a ms. in the British Museum which is a transcript of Resta’s notes on the drawings first in his and then in Lord Somer’s collection; see Popham, Resta; also Lugt 2981 and Lugt, Supplement, p. 419); bought 1876 LITERATURE J. A. Gere, Taddeo Zuccaro. His development studied in his drawings, 1969, p. 116 and p. 169, no. 114 Under the item h. 37 in the copy of Resta’s commentary the drawing is attributed to Taddeo Zuccaro and rightly with the Farnese Palace at Caprarola, where the correspondiong picture is in the Sala di Aurora. The name of the goddess is also given, but illegibly, and Resta describes her as ‘Dea Vaticina’. Annibale Caro was the author of the iconographical plan of the decorations, and his instructions to Taddeo Zuccaro are quoted in extenso in Vasari’s life of the latter (Milanesi’s edition, 7, pp. 126-27). The goddess in the tondo is described as ‘Brinto Dea de Vaticinij & interpretante de sogni’, and Caro wishes her to be represented as a Sybil seated at the foot of an elm tree. Her name is really Brizo and she was a prophetic goddess on the island of Delos, who sent dreams to men and revealed their meaning. The paintings were probably designed by Taddeo Zuccaro, but mostly carried out by Federico after Taddeo’s death. Gere ascribes our drawing and its companion (no. 419) to Federico, rather than Taddeo. There was another copy of the tondo showing Brizo in the collection of tha later Mr John Brophy, London. See also the entry under no. 419
  • Gere, J. A., Taddeo Zuccaro: His development studied in his drawings, 1969, p. 116 and p.169, no.114
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
8091:1

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O819228/the-goddess-brizo-drawing-zuccaro-federico/
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