J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

ISBN 978-1-84976-386-8
J.M.W. Turner > 1819-29 Italy and after > First Italian Tour 1819-20 > Tivoli to Rome Sketchbook > Artwork

Joseph Mallord William Turner Details of the Decorations of Raphael's Loggia in the Vatican: The Frescoes of 'Raphael's Bible' from the Fourth and Fifth Vaults of the Ceiling 1819

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Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Details of the Decorations of Raphael's Loggia in the Vatican: The Frescoes of 'Raphael's Bible' from the Fourth and Fifth Vaults of the Ceiling’ 1819
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 20 Recto:
Details of the Decorations of Raphael’s Loggia in the Vatican: The Frescoes of ‘Raphael’s Bible’ from the Fourth and Fifth Vaults of the Ceiling 1819
D14964
Turner Bequest CLXXIX 20
Pencil on white wove paper, 186 x 112 mm
Inscribed by the artist in pencil with various notes on the loggia decorations [see main catalogue entry]
Inscribed by ?John Ruskin in blue ink ‘20’ top left, ascending left-hand edge
Stamped in black ‘CLXXIX 20’ top right, ascending left-hand edge
 
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Turner made a closely detailed visual record of the Loggia of Raphael in the Vatican, particularly concentrating on the southern end of the interior and the decoration of the first three bays and window arches. From these drawings evolved the artist’s first finished oil painting following his Italian tour, the vast canvas Rome from the Vatican. Raffaelle Accompanied by La Fornarina, Preparing his Pictures for the Decoration of the Loggia exhibited 1820 (Tate, N00503).1 The sketches on this page represent parts of the decorative fresco scheme from the fourth and fifth vaults of the loggia’s ceiling. These are comprised of scenes from ‘Raphael’s Bible’ as well as other elements. The fourth vault is depicted on the right-hand side of the page, including anti-clockwise from the bottom:
a
Abraham and the Three Angels by Giovanfrancesco Penni (1488/96–1528).2 Turner has annotated the sketch with various colour notes, ‘Y’, ‘R’, ‘Y’, ‘Grey’, ‘Yellow L | and Blue Shad’, ‘D L Y | B D’, and ‘L Purple | Y [?sardi]’.
b
The Promise from God to Abraham by Giulio Romano (circa 1499–1546).3 The sketch, which also includes a significant section of the ornamental decoration on either side of the scene, is variously inscribed with colour notes, ‘P’, ‘Co’, ‘W | Green’, ‘Gold | [?and Shad]’, ‘Blue’, ‘G’, ‘B’, ‘Laurel O’, ‘Pink’, ‘Light | R Red’, ‘Abraham and [...]’, ‘yell’, ‘[?Moses] | and [V...] [B...]’, and ‘Cho and Pink’.
c
The Flight of Lot by Luca Penni (1500/4–1557)4 inscribed with colour notes, ‘Yell light’, ‘LP’, ‘LG’, ‘L’ and ‘Y’.
d
The winged victory or angel from the centre of the vault. Below this sketch Turner has noted the position of the fourth biblical scene from this section, ‘Aram and Mel’, i.e. Abraham and Melchizedek by Giulio Romano.5
On the left-hand side of the page, parallel with the spine of the sketchbook, Turner has recorded a single scene from the fifth vault:
e
Isaac and Esau by Guillaume de Marcillat (circa 1467/70–1529), as well as an ornamental scene to the right, annotated ‘V Yell’ and ‘E and I’.6 This is the scene which, like the Creation of the Animals, the Creation of Eve, and the Sacrifice of Noah is positioned on the north-facing side of the vault and therefore visible when looking towards the southern end.
Neither the fourth or fifth vaults are visible in the view of the loggia in Rome from the Vatican. However, if Turner had chosen to extend the viewpoint beyond the third vault, he would have included The Flight of Lot from the fourth vault, and Isaac and Esau from the fifth.
Underneath the last sketch Turner has listed a number of scenes from the sixth to thirteenth vaults: ‘Rebecca [?Rachel] at the Well & [?Bargin] of Jacob | Joseph sold – Joseph and his Mistress | Moses and Bush Red Sea | Adoration Calf Pillar of Cloud | Wall of Jericho Joshua and the Sun | Bathshea | Judgement of Sol David and Sol Temple | Nativity Batism of Christ’. These appear to refer respectively to the following panels:
The Meeting of Jacob and Rachel by Tommaso Vincidor (1493–1536) (sixth vault)7
The Pact with Laban (Jacob Asks for the Hand of Rachel) by Raffaellino del Colle (circa 1494/97–1566) (sixth vault)8
Joseph sold by his Brothers by Perin del Vaga (1501–47) and Polidoro da Caravaggio (circa 1500–43) (seventh vault)9
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife by Giulio Romano (seventh vault)10
Moses and the Burning Bush by Guillaume de Marcillat (eight vault)11
Parting of the Red Sea by Bartolomeo di David (1482–circa 1545) and Luca Penni (eight vault)12
Adoration of the Golden Calf by Giulio Romano and Bartolomeo di David (ninth vault)13
Pillar of Cloud by ?Bartolomeo di David (ninth vault)14
Fall of Jericho by Perin del Vaga (tenth vault)15
Joshua Stops the Sun by Perin del Vaga (tenth vault)16
David and Bathsheba by Perin del Vaga (eleventh vault)17
Judgment of Solomon by Pellegrino da Modena (circa 1490–1523) (twelfth vault)18
Construction of the Temple by ?Polidoro da Caravaggio (twelfth vault)19
Adoration of the Magi by ?Giovanni da Spoleto (active from 1516) (thirteenth vault)20
Baptism of Christ by Raffaellino del Colle (thirteenth vault)21
This list appears to comprise the scenes which are visible when looking from a point underneath the fifth vault towards the northern end of the loggia.
Further studies related to the evolution of Rome from the Vatican can be found on folios 13 verso–19, 21–21 verso and 25–26 (D14955–D14963, D14965–D14966 and D14970–2), as well as an elaborate compositional drawing in pen and ink in the Rome C. Studies sketchbook (Tate D16368; Turner Bequest CLXXXIX 41). For a full description of the loggia and Turner’s sketches see folio 14 (D14956).
1
Martin Butlin and Evelyn Joll, The Paintings of J.M.W. Turner, revised ed., New Haven and London 1984, no.228.
2
Nicole Dacos, Le Logge di Rafaello: Maestro e bottega di fronte all’antico, Rome 1977, no.IV.3, reproduced Tav.XX. and Nicole Dacos, The Loggia of Raphael: A Vatican Art Treasure, New York and London 2008, pl.113, p.153.
3
Dacos 1977, no.IV.2, reproduced, Tav.XIX and Dacos 2008, pl.112, p.152.
4
Dacos 1977, no.IV.4, reproduced Tav.XXI and Dacos 2008, pl.114, p.154.
5
Dacos 1977, no.IV.1, reproduced, Tav.XIX and Dacos 2008, pl.111, p.151.
6
Dacos 1977, no.V.4, reproduced Tav.XXIV and Dacos 2008, pl.118, p.159.
7
Dacos 1977, no.VI.2 and Dacos 2008, pl.120, p.161.
8
Dacos 1977, no.VI.3 and Dacos 2008, pl.121, p.162.
9
Dacos 1977, no.VII.2 and Dacos 2008, pl.124, p.166.
10
Dacos 1977, no.VII.3 and Dacos 2008, pl.125, p.167.
11
Dacos 1977, no.VIII.2 and Dacos 2008, pl.128, p.170.
12
Dacos 1977, no.VIII.3 and Dacos 2008, pl.129, p.171.
13
Dacos 1977, no.IX.2. and Dacos 2008, pl.132, p.175.
14
Dacos 1977, no.IX.3 and Dacos 2008, pl.133, p.176.
15
Dacos 1977, no.X.2 and Dacos 2008, pl.136, p.179.
16
Dacos 1977, no.X.3 and Dacos 2008, pl.137, p.180.
17
Dacos 1977, no.XI.3 and Dacos 2008, pl.141, p.184.
18
Dacos 1977, no.XII.2 and Dacos 2008, pl.144, p.187.
19
Dacos 1977, no.XII.4 and Dacos 2008, pl.145, p.188.
20
Dacos 1977, no.XIII.2 and Dacos 2008, pl.148, p.190.
21
Dacos 1977, no.XIII.3 and Dacos 2008, pl.149, p.191.
Verso:
Blank

Nicola Moorby
January 2010

How to cite

Nicola Moorby, ‘Details of the Decorations of Raphael’s Loggia in the Vatican: The Frescoes of ‘Raphael’s Bible’ from the Fourth and Fifth Vaults of the Ceiling 1819 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, January 2010, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, December 2012, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-details-of-the-decorations-of-raphaels-loggia-in-the-vatican-r1137596, accessed 19 April 2024.