Giosuè Bernardino Meli, Raphael Transfiguration Mosaic, St Peter's, Vaticanc, 1840s, Watercolour, Marble & Paper

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An original c.1840 watercolour painting, Giosuè Meli, Raphael's Transfiguration Mosaic, St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Rome.This beautiful drawing in … Read more An original c.1840 watercolour painting, Giosuè Meli, Raphael's Transfiguration Mosaic, St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Rome.This beautiful drawing in watercolour with graphite is a rare work by the 19th-century Italian sculptor Giosuè Bernardino Meli (1816–1893). Meli usually worked in three dimensions, carving exquisite figures in Carrara marble. This drawing showcases the artist's virtuoso flair for figure modelling, as well as his delicacy of drawn line and precision colouring.After a long period of underappreciation, there has been renewed interest in Meli after a recent biography by Carlo Pinessi of the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Luzzana.Giosuè Meli moved from his native Luzzano in northern Italy to Rome in 1840, thanks to the patronage of some prominent figures of Bergamo society, such as the noblewoman Lucia Prezzati, the count Leonino Secco Suardo and the cardinal Angelo Maj. In Rome he perfected his sculpture studies in the studio of Giovanni Maria Benzoni (1809–1873), an established sculptor of Bergamo origin. Meli was influenced by the Neoclassical style of Benzoni and other contemporary sculptors working in Rome, such as Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844) and Pietro Tenerani (1789–1869), but he also sought an expressive language between Neoclassicism and Romanticism.This drawing is believed to date from around the time Meli relocated to Rome. Inscribed 'La Trasfigurazione di Raffaello seguita in mosaico a S. Pietro in Vaticano', it shows a group of clergymen in front of the altar in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Rome. Above the altar is the mosaic reproduction of Raphael's famous last painting 'The Transfiguration', showing Christ on Mount Tabor; the idea for the mosaic copy dates back to 1744, and was finally installed in the basilica in 1768.This drawing is one of a pair by Meli that we have for sale, the other of which is signed 'Meli fecit'.In watercolour with graphite on cream wove paper.There is an unidentified blindstamp, FM in a circle, not in Lugt but presumably a collector's stamp. A group of drawings by Meli sold at Christie's in 1995 bearing the same stamp and dated 1839.Provenance: the present drawing derives from a mixed Victorian album of exceptional quality, previously uncatalogued.All artworks come with a Certificate of Authenticity and—if it is a collection artwork—its accompanying collection text or artist biography. Signed: No. Inscribed: Inscribed lower centre. Height: 27.7cm (10.9″) Width: 21cm (8.3″) Condition: The overall impression is good, with crisp, clean colouration. The odd faint mark to the margins. Slight wrinkling to the paper towards the corners of the sheet. These issues could be substantailly mounted out. Please see photos for detail. Presented: Unframed. See less