Marco MARCHETTI known as Marco da FAENZA (Faenza, circa 1528 - 1588) Scene from the Anc. Testam

Marco MARCHETTI, known as Marco da FAENZA
(Faenza, circa 1528 - 1588)

Scene from the Old Testament

Pen and brown ink wash

190 x 125 mm

Provenance: 19th c. French collection

Bibliography: Unpublished

Marco Marchetti was a prolific draftsman, and many of his works are held in major public collections. In particular, the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe at the Uffizi offers a corpus of hundreds of pieces, mainly dating from the last twenty years of the artist's activity. Many of Marchetti's figure sheets, in fact, have a highly recognizable appearance. They are executed in pen and brown ink with highly diluted, often flat washes in a form that can be defined as "synthetic", in analogy with Faenza's contemporary ceramic production. In the course of our studies, many of his serial sheets have found precise links with the artist's painting, in particular with works produced in Faenza and Rimini from the seventh decade onwards, and with increasing frequency, after 1570, the date set by documents attesting him in Rimini in the service of the Marcheselli family.
The scene depicted is most likely related to the Old Testament, without being sufficiently identifiable. Professor Zavatta, whom we would like to thank for his help in drafting this note, likens our sheet to a Striking of the Rock in the Uffizi in Florence, dating from the 1560s, in which the same crowd composition and comparable physiognomies are found.