Agostino Mitelli and Jacopo Chiavistelli

Comprising:

Design for a Wall with Trompe l'Oeil Stair
Pen and brown ink and colored washes over traces of black chalk
15 x 9 ¼ inches

Design for a Wall with Trompe l'Oeil Columns
Pen and brown ink and colored washes over black chalk
15 ½ x 8 7/8 inches

Design for a Wall Decoration with Trompe l'Oeil Caryatid
Pen and brown ink over black chalk
15 x 8 ½ inches

Design for a Trompe l'Oeil Balustrade with the Medici Arms
Pen and brown ink and wash
10 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches

Design for a Ceiling Corner with the Medici Arms
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk
13 ¼ x 7 ¼ inches

Design for a Spandrel with Figures
Pen, brown ink and wash over black chalk
7 ¾ x 10 inches

Design for an Elaborate Ceiling
Pen, brown ink and brown and yellow wash
8 x 12 3/8 inches

Design for a Cornice
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk
3 ¼ x 10  5/8 inches 

Design for a Wall Decoration with Putti
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk
11 3/8 x 2 3/8 inches

Design for a Trompe l'Oeil Ceiling Corner
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk
11 x 9 3/8 inches

Design for a Wall Decoration with Trompe l'Oeil Fountain
Pen and brown ink and colored washes
11 1/8 x 15  1/4 inches

Design for a Decoration with Temples and a Sculpture Group
Pen and brown ink and colored washes
7  3/4 x 10  1/8 inches

Design for a Wall Fountain in Trompe l'Oeil Setting
Pen and brown ink over black chalk
15 5/8 x 11 inches

Design for a Ceiling Corner
Pen and brown ink and wash
6 1/8 x 5 inches 

Design for a Ceiling Corner
Brown wash over black chalk
5 x 4 3/8 inches

Sale: New York, Sotheby's, January 16, 1985, lot 55
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Kirsten Aschengreen Piacenti, 'The Summer Apartment of the Grand Dukes,' Apollo, September 1977, pp. 190-197, illus. (the Mitelli frescoes)
Marco Chiarini, 'The Decoration of the Palazzo Pitti in the 17th and 18th Centuries,' Apollo, September 1977, pp. 186 and 188, fig. 13, illus. (the Chiavistelli frescoes)

The following drawings are connected with decorations in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence. A-D are by Agostino Mitelli and can be directly connected with his decorations of the Grand Dukes' Audience Chamber and the Private Audience Chamber, painted between 1636 and 1641. Dr. Marco Chiarini has previously pointed out that E, F, G and H do not correspond exactly to existing frescoes but that I might be a preliminary idea for the Private Audience Chamber. Dr. Chiarini also suggests that J-N are by Jacopo Chiavistelli, as they are all related to his frescoes in other ground floor rooms of the Palazzo. For illustrations of the Mitelli frescoes, see Kirsten Aschengreen Piacenti, loc. cit., and for Chiavistelli, see Marco Chiarini, loc. cit.

A) Design for a wall with trompe l'oeil columns 
Pen and brown ink and colored washes over black chalk
15 1/2 by 8 7/8 in.; 395 by 224 mm

B) Design for a wall decoration with a trompe l'oeil caryatid
Pen and brown ink over black chalk 
15 by 8 1/2 in.; 381 by 215 mm  

C) Design for a trompe l'oeil balustrade with the Medici arms 
Pen and brown ink and wash
10 1/4 by 9 1/4 in.; 260 by 235 mm  

D) Design for a ceiling corner with the Medici arms
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk 
13 1/4 by 7 1/4 in.; 336 by 197 mm  

E) Design for a spandrel with figures
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk 
7 3/4 by 10 in.; 197 by 255 mm 

F) Design for an elaborate ceiling 
Pen and brown ink and brown and yellow wash
8 by 12 3/8 in.; 202 by 315 mm 

G) Design for a cornice
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk
3 1/4 by 10 5/8 in.; 81 by 271 mm 

H) Design for a wall decoration with putti
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk
11 3/8 by 2 3/8 in.; 288 by 60 mm 

I) Design for a trompe l'oeil ceiling corner
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk
11 by 9 3/8 in.; 280 by 237 mm 

J) Design for a wall decoration with trompe l'oeil fountain
Pen and brown ink and colored washes
11 1/8 by 15 1/4 in.; 284 by 387 mm  

K) Design for a decoration with temples and a sculpture group
Pen and brown ink and colored washes
7 3/4 by 10 1/8 in.; 195 by 258 mm  

L) Design for a wall fountain in a trompe l'oeil setting
Pen and brown ink over black chalk 
15 5/8 by 11 in.; 396 by 280 mm 

M) Design for a ceiling corner
Pen and brown ink and wash
6 1/8 by 5 in.; 155 by 125 mm 

N) Design for a ceiling corner
Brown wash over black chalk 
4 3/8 by 5 in.; 111 by 140 mm