{"product_id":"a-fine-late-16th-or-early-17th-century-old-master-drawing","title":"A fine late 16th or early 17th Century Old Master drawing","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a highly dynamic late Mannerist or early Baroque preparatory study of a Biblical subject which we have thought to be a narrative of the Eucharist. It is drafted in a monochrome brown watercolour wash and depicts a theological discourse where a group of Disciples are closely clustered to the left and the figure of Christ standing to the right , gesturing toward a gateway ,perhaps a gate entrance to a city or a church. The whole is painted on hand-made rag paper which shows the distinctive irregular horizontal and vertical chain lines, this is indicative of Italian or Northern European papermaking of the mid 16th century to the early 17th century. The paper shows robust structural stability and shows a natural distribution of linen\/rag pulp slurry , with signs of storage in a historic studio folio and minor authentic surface oxidation commensurate with age.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe reverse side displays a under-drawing in black chalk or graphite with associated script that depicts the names of two supposed artists and a connoisseur's opinion of the potential artist who is here suggested as a former pupil of Giulio Romano in turn a disciple of Raphael.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDomenico Riccio, universally known by his distinctive moniker Brusasorci (c. 1515\/1516 – 30 March 1567), was a pioneering Italian Renaissance painter and fresco artist from the Veronese school. Celebrated as an avant-garde innovator of the Mannerist style in Verona, his dramatic narrative cycles, vibrant use of colour, and sweeping structural decorations bridged the high-art principles of Central Italy with the atmosphere of the Venetian School. This picture is unsigned, however it bears the mark of  serious and certainly wealthy collector, the ink stamp which we have shown within the images, sits within a lozenge shaped cartouche on the leg of the disciple which looks to walk from the Christ, this looks to be Judas, this is an assumption.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDomenico Riccio was born in Verona, then part of the Republic of Venice, around 1515 or 1516. He was the son of Agostino Riccio, an early Veronese painter from whom no surviving works are known.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe bizarre family alias \"Brusasorci\" translates literally from the Veronese dialect to \"rat burner\". According to historical accounts, Domenico’s father earned this peculiar nickname after becoming notorious in his neighbourhood for his aggressive, fiery methods of clearing out an infestation of rats from his home. The name stuck, and Domenico—and later his children—adopted it proudly as an artistic trademark.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRiccio initially apprenticed in his father’s workshop before expanding his horizons under the tutelage of prominent local masters, including Giovanni Francesco Caroto and Niccolò Giolfino.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, his signature style was heavily transformed by wider Italian currents. He became fascinated by the sharply foreshortened figures and theatrical perspectives of Giulio Romano, the premier pupil of Raphael who had radically altered the nearby artistic landscape of Mantua. Riccio combined this sculptural dynamism with the fluid grace of Parmigianino—evident in his delicate, elegant renderings of female figures—and the rich tonal warmth of Venetian giants like Titian and Giorgione.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrusasorci established himself as Verona's leading mid-16th-century painter, highly sought after for large-scale religious altarpieces and sweeping civilian fresco cycles. His career highlights spanned across Northern Italy:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarly Successes (1540s): After 1543, he painted a dramatic Battle of an Angel and a Demon in the choir vault of S Stefano in Verona, heavily echoing Romano's geometry.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Trento Commissions (1551): Riccio travelled to Trento to decorate the façades of prominent houses and execute major fresco cycles inside the Municipio Vecchio (Palazzo Thun).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Mantua \u0026amp; Palladian Era (1552 onward): He was summoned to paint for the cathedral in Mantua in 1552. Later, he collaborated alongside a young Paolo Veronese on spectacular frescoes decorating the historic Palladian palace, Iseppo Porto.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMasterpieces of Verona: His most celebrated domestic triumphs include the ceremonial Cavalcade of Charles V and Clement VII inside the Palazzo Ridolfi-Lisca, works inside the Palazzo Vescovile, and his highly lauded, dramatic ceiling painting of Phaeton in the Palazzo Chiericati.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond visual art, Brusasorci was widely known as an \"ottimo musico\" (a superb musician). His passion for music and humanism led him to become a foundational member of the prestigious Accademia Filarmonica of Verona upon its establishment in 1543.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDomenico Brusasorci died in his native Verona on 30 March 1567. He passed his craft down to three of his children, founding a highly successful artistic dynasty:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFelice Riccio (1542–1605): His eldest son, who inherited the Brusasorci moniker and became a prominent Late-Renaissance master and teacher to early Baroque artists.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGiovanni Battista Riccio (b. 1544): A practicing historical painter.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCecilia Brusasorzi (1549–1593): One of the rare recognized female painters of the era.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday, Domenico Riccio's works are preserved across major European collections, including the National Galleries of Scotland, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Castelvecchio Museum in Verona.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domenico Riccio Brusasorci","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60249064309081,"sku":null,"price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/KA_212_Mockups.png?v=1793205736","url":"https:\/\/vaughanfineart.im\/products\/a-fine-late-16th-or-early-17th-century-old-master-drawing","provider":"Vaughan Fine Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}