Morgan Library to Exhibit Sixteenth Century Italian Drawings

In the early 1500s, Rome’s majesty was a distant memory; its marble temples and palaces had been ransacked; its population was a fraction of what it had been in antiquity. Yet, over the course of the next hundred years, the Eternal City would experience an amazing rebirth, as a series of popes rebuilt and revitalized Rome and its population doubled. At the center of this metamorphoisis was an unprecedented influx of artistic talent and creative exchange.

It is this remarkable period in art history that is the subject of a new exhibition, Rome After Raphael, at The Morgan Library & Museum. Featuring more than eighty works selected almost exclusively from the Morgan’s exceptional collection of Italian drawings, the exhibition brings to light the intense artistic activity in Rome from the Renaissance to the beginning of the Baroque period, approximately from 1500 to 1600. The show is on view through May 9, 2010.

The exhibition is the first in New York to focus solely on Roman Renaissance and Mannerist drawings, beginning with Raphael and ending with the dawn of a new era, the Baroque, as seen in the art of Annibale Carracci. It includes striking examples by Raphael and Michelangelo as well as works by artists associated with the dominant stylistic traditions established by these two iconic figures.

Among the prominent artists represented are: Baldassare Peruzzi, Polidoro da Caravaggio, Giulio Romano, Perino del Vaga, Parmigianino, Daniele da Volterra, Francesco Salviati, Pirro Ligorio, Pellegrino Tibaldi, Taddeo Zuccaro, Giolamo Muziano, Cesare Nebbia, Federico Zuccaro, Raffaellino da Reggio, and Giuseppe Cesari, called II Cavaliere d’Arpino.

The exhibition also features Giulio Clovio’s sumptuous Farnese hours, one of the greatest illuminated manuscripts, as well as the Codex Mellon—an architectural treatise on key Roman sites and projects, including Raphael’s design for St. Peter’s—and a magnificent gilt binding of the period. Also on view is a Raphael workshop painting from the Morgan depicting the Holy Family, which has recently undergone a technical examination.

It was during the reign of Pope Julius II, elected in 1503, that Rome embarked on a century-long program of renewal and restoration. By the time Pope Clement VII died in 1605, the overarching political and artistic ambitions of popes, cardinals, and foreign dignitaries had given rise to one of the richest periods in art history, transforming Rome into the unrivaled cultural capital of Europe.

Numerous drawings in the exibition are related to Roman projects and commissions, including elaborate schemes for fresco decorations for city palaces, rural villas, and funerary chapels as well as altarpieces, tapestry designs, and views of recently discovered antiquities. The exhibition also opens a window into the artistic sensibility and lavish patronage of the period, from Julius II—patron of both Michelangelo and Raphael and possibly the most culturally sophisticated of the popes—to his successor Leo X and the “Gran Cardinale” Alessandro Farnese and his nephew Odoardo. Cardinal Ippolito d’Este and the Medici also generated luxurious commissions as they competed to create their own legacies in chapels, palaces, and villas.

Through their sheer quality and novelty, the works of Raphael and Michelangelo in the Vatican established a tradition that resonated throughout the history of Western art. The exhibition brings to the fore the central artistic dialectic of the century: the vivalry between the legacies of Raphael, whose work epitomizes elegant restraint and clear narrative style, and that of Michelangelo, characterized by high drama and muscular nudes.

Arriving in Rome in 1508, Raphael found success as court artist to popes Julius II della Rovere and Leo X de’Medici. The Morgan’s holdings by the artist trace his development from his early pre-Roman period, represented by the fresco design Cardinal Piccolomini Presents Eleanor of Portugal to Her Betrothed, Emperor Frederick III and the cartoon related to the predella panel depicting Christ’s Agony in the Garden, to his metalpoint drawing Male Figure Symbolizing an Earthquake—a study of ca. 1515 for one of the tapestries Raphael designed for the Sistine Chapel.

Heavily employed by a succession of popes and secular patrons, Raphael developed a large workshop that included artists such as Polidoro da Caravaggio, Perino del Vaga, and Giulio Romano, all magnificently represented in the Morgan’s collection of drawings. After Raphael’s premature death in 1520, these artists developed their own highly successful careers. Polidoro was one of the city’s most prolific facade decorators, an aspect of his career uniquely illustrated by the Morgan’s study of a Prisoner Brought Before a Judge, a scene once painted on a Roman house. Perino’s independent career included a commission from Cardinal Alessandro Farnese for the design of rock-crystal plaques, which today still comprise part of the treasury of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Morgan’s two extraordinary designs for this commission, Christ Healing the Lame at the Pool of Bethesda and the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, are on view in the exhibition. One of Raphael’s most successful pupils (and later court artist to the Gonzaga in Mantua), Giulio Romano is represented by an early lunette design and by the vigorous St Jerome and St. Augustine. The show also includes the Codex Mellon, one of the earliest and most important volumes of Renaissance antiquarian drawings relating to contemporary architectural projects. Probably drafted ca. 1513 by an architect from the circle of the great Renaissance master Donato Bramante, the sketchbook records plans for the new basilica of St. Peter’s as well as those relating to Bramante’s Palazzo Caprini, also known as Raphael’s house.

One of the great figures of the Renaissance whose fame has rarely been eclipsed, Michelangelo was among the forces that shaped the style usually called Mannerism. He had been summoned to Rome by Pope Julius II in 1508 to design the pope’s tomb for St. Peter’s, was also employed on the decoration of the Sistine ceiling and altar wall, and worked for the papacy in Rome for the last thirty years of his long and fruitful career. The Morgan’s Annunciation to the Virgin of ca. 1547 and a series of four sketches of David Slaying Goliath superbly demonstrate the artist’s consummate skill as a designer of dramatic compositions and draftsman of the human anatomy

Unlike Raphael, Michelangelo did not keep a large workshop, although he did have a number of associates, artist friends, and followers. Among them was Daniele da Volterra, whose Kneeling Figure of ca. 1550—a study for a fresco in the church of Santissa Trinità Monti—is a rare example of his delicate, precise drawing style. A drawing attributed to Giuilo Clovio, that is a reprise of Michelangelo’s renowned composition The Dream of Human Life (II Sogno) of the early 1530s, reflects the fame and influence of the great master’s highly refined and innovative presentation drawings. The show also includes the Farnese Hours, once the most famous illuminated manuscript, lavishly illustrated by Clovio for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. Pelligrino Tibaldi’s heavily draped Seated Barbarian Prisoners, a further superb example of the enduring influence of Michelangelo’s figure style and draftsmanship, is also on display.

Supremely gifted as a painter and draftsman, Parmigianino came to Rome in 1524 seeking papal patronage but fled, as did many of his contemporaries, when the troops of Charles V invaded the city in 1527 during the Sack of Rome. A group of five drawings from this short period are shown, including a stunning red chalk design for a print of the philosopher Diogenes, a lyrical Girl Seated on the Ground that illustrates the artist’s penchant for domestic scenes, and a moving, pen-and-ink Pietà freely inspired by Michelangelo’s famous marble group in St. Peter’s.

As the city was being rebuilt and reconceived under the direction of the popes, archaeological finds were commonplace, triggering a sixteenth-century fashion for antiquity that spread throughout Europe. Marble sculptures representing river gods, excavated during the 1500s and immediately put on display at the Vatican Palace, are recorded in Enea Vico’s two spectacular, scrupulously detailed drawings of the early 1540s. Rome’s illustrious antiquarian past informed much artistic production as illustrated by the jewel-like album on precious vellum titled The Ruins of Rome. This amusing juxtaposition of somewhat fanciful reconstructions of ancient monuments with their ruined 1570s appearance is an intriguing document of the Renaissance mind-set, bringing to life the vivid interest in reconstructing the antique.

The last third of the sixteenth century saw the predominance of a highly decorative and technically masterful style generally known as Late Mannerism. This is exceptionally well represented in the Morgan collection, with outstanding examples by Taddeo and Federico Zuccaro and their followers Girolamo Muziano, Jacopo Bertoia, and Cesare Neblia. The weightless grace of their style can be seen in Taddeo’s St. John the Baptist Preaching and The Foundation of Orbetello, the latter a study for decoration of the Palazzo Farnese. Among the myriad themes that define the period was the need of the Roman Catholic Church to defend its authority against the rising threat of Protestantism. The Renaissance popes’ lavish spending had led them to encourage the sale of indulgences—two are documented in the exhibition—a practice heavily criticized by Martin Luther. Eventually, the Catholic Church recognized the need for reforms and convened the Council of Trent, resulting in a movement known as the Counter-Reformation, the consequences of which became apparent in artistic production toward the end of the sixteenth century. Palestrina’s mass for Pope Marcellus, the published score and recording of which are featured in the exhibition, places counter-reformatory emphasis on an easily comprehensible declamatory text.

Several artists of the last decade of the sixteenth century facilitated the artistic reforms brought about by Annibale Carracci, his brother Agostino, and his cousin Ludovico. Giuseppe Cesari, called II Cavailiere d’Arpino, is represented by the lively figure study of a Child Walking, Looking Over its Shoulder and the striking Portrait of a Lady, both from the late 1580s. Both he and Cristofano Rocalli restricted the purely decorative Mannerist aspect of their work and reassessed High Renaissance models. Annibale Carracci himself paved the way for the Baroque, achieving a synthesis of Raphael’s elegance and Michelangelo’s drama and vigorous musculaity. Harkening back to Raphael, Annibale revived the practice of studying from the live model, as is amply obvious in his luminous Flying Putto of the late 1590s, which exhibits an astonishing command of the figure rendered in space. In addition, a new emphasis on an idealized yet naturalistic depiction of landscape is apparent in his magnificent Eroded Riverbank with Trees and Roots.

For more information call (212) 590-0311.

NHABA Concord Book Fair Under New Management

Garry & Karen Austin of Austin’s Antiquarian Books and AAB Productions and the New Hampshire Bookseller’s Association have announced that the annual Association Book Fair will now be managed by AABP. The September event held annually in Concord has become a reliable staple in the book fair calendar and dealers have found it to be a well attended and profitable event. Due to scheduling changes and conflict with the Everett Arena Youth Hockey Program the event had to be held in mid-august in 2009. However, this year’s fair returns to its traditional Fall date on September, 12, 2010.

The big news is that the fair has a new home. “We will be mounting the show at the lovely Grappone Center, adjacent to the Marriott Courtyard, 70 Constitution Avenue in Concord, just about a mile from our old digs at the rink,” Austin said. “It is a beautiful space and just what you would expect from a fine hotel meeting and exhibition facility, carpeted, well lit, easy access for set-up with no stairs, adjacent lodging and climate controlled” added Karen Austin.

The fair accommodates about 70 exhibitors and encourages a really integrated mix of dealers in rare and out of print books, and ephemera. Visitors will also find maps, prints, postcards, autographs, manuscripts, and advertising collectibles.

The New Hampshire Booksellers’ Association found Austin & AABP to be a good fit as manager for the event. “I’ve been a book dealer for thirty years, have exhibited at more shows than I can remember, and we approach the show business from the dealer’s as well as the customer’s point of view. I have to make our exhibitors happy and must address their needs and problems immediately” said Austin. AABP also promotes the New Jersey Antiquarian Book Fair, manages the Vermont Summer Book Fair and co-promotes the Albany Antiquarian Book Fair. After several meetings, the NHABA committee and Austin agreed that the date and location were of the utmost importance. “We have retained our traditional date and the move to the Grappone Center keeps the show in Concord... (and) we expect the bulk of our long time exhibitors to return, (since) they represent some of the most prestigious members of the trade in New England” said an NHABA committee member.

For more information call (802) 464-8438, e-mail mail@austinsbooks.com, or write to: AAB Productions, P.O. Box 730, Wilmington, VT 05363.

American Premiere of Dramatic Performance at the Grolier Club

On Tuesday, March 9, 2010, for one evening only, the Grolier Club of New York is pleased to host the American premiere of “My Wife Did a Bit of Scribbling.” The occasion is the current exhibition Mary Webb: Neglected Genius at the Grolier Club (47 East 60^th Street, New York, New York 10022) that runs through March 13, 2010. “My Wife Did a Bit of Scribbling” dramatizes the tragic literary life of the early-twentieth century British novelist and poet Mary Webb, warmly human, deeply compassionate, and with insights relevant to our lives today. Carol Snape-Barker, incorporating passages from Webb’s writings, created this play for the 1981 centenary of Mary Webb’s birth. After performance at England’s Ludlow Festival, the drama became a BBC Radio production.

Carol Snape-Barker (playwright) lives in Shropshire, on the border between England and Wales. Carol studied at the Webber Douglas Academy, and has performed as Madam Acarti in “Blithe Spirit,” Queen Margaret in “Richard III,” and Carmen in Genet’s “The Balcony.” In 1980 she adapted Mary Webb’s most famous novel, Precious Bane, for BBC Radio.
The title of Carol’s play comes from an off-hand comment by Webb’s husband Henry. He had leased Mary’s beloved Spring Cottage in Shropshire to a tenant. When the renter offered to purchase the property, Henry initially refused, saying “This was where my wife did her bit of scribbling.”

More about Mary Webb’s life and writing can be found on the “Webb-site” (www.marywebb.org) or in the two-volume catalogue accompanying the exhibition and available at the Grolier Club or online through University Press of New England (UPNE), exclusive distributors of Grolier Club publications.

Rebecca Rainsford (role of Mary Webb) has toured internationally, performing in works by (among others) Shakespeare, Wilde, and Shaw. Rebecca has played leads in London’s West End and other British theatre productions, including Clara in Richard Taylor’s “Whistle Down the Wind.” Rebecca has also been cast in leading parts in Shaw’s “Major Barbara” and in the award-winning “Tales of Beatrix Potter.” She is a gifted actress, singer and Celtic harpist, and has performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Although she is currently limiting her acting to smaller parts and voice-overs in order to spend more time with her two young daughters, Rebecca is pleased to perform the role of Mary Webb in this American premiere of her mother-in-law’s play.

Jack Milner (role of Henry Webb) has pursued simultaneous careers in theatre, television, film and radio. Jack is the founder of the celebrated and award-winning London Comedy Writer’s Group, which has spawned many of Britain’s top new comedy writers. As a writer, he has dozens of TV and radio credits. Jack recently directed “Snow White” at the Bristol Hippodrome, one of the largest theatres in Europe, which was seen by 66,000 people over a four-week run. Jack has also directed for the West End, and is known as one of Britain’s top comedy facilitators, having worked with BBC TV, Channel 4, ITV, and the National Theatre. Jack grew up in Shropshire with the writings of Mary Webb, and is delighted to play the part of Henry Webb in tribute to his mother and for the Grolier Club.
While there is no cost to attend the American premiere of “My Wife Did a Bit of Scribbling,” please call (212) 838-6690 or e-mail mbrennan@grolierclub.org to place your name on the guest list, as seating is limited.

Literature and Culture along the Great River from the St. Louis Mercantile Association  

An evocative exhibition on the waterways heritage of America will come to the Grolier Club in the spring of 2010. “Lives on the Mississippi: Literature and Culture along the Great River,” from the collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library Association, on view from February 24-May 1, 2010, will explore the history, development and life of the Mississippi River as a distinct yet vast cultural region. Its traditions, lore, and heritage reverberate in literature and art over nearly 2500 miles and for more than 400 years.

Through early maps of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; through French, Dutch and other travel accounts; through records of politicians, engineers, and designers of boats and bridges; through early humorous sketches and comic almanacs; and through drawings, paintings and historical artifacts, “Lives on the Mississippi” presents a broad picture of the varied aspects of this unique environment. The exhibition features original works by Thomas Hart Benton and Joe Jones, among others, and it will feature one of only three existing signed presentation sets of Audubon’s double elephant folio Birds of America, originally a reserve copy of the artist, and passed down through the Audubon family until its acquisition by the Mercantile Library in the 1850s. Other highlights include an eleven-foot “ribbon map” of the Mississippi from the collections of Washington University, one of the very few intact copies known; and rare steamboat artifacts, such as gambling pieces from the Grand Republic, and a lead-tipped line like those thrown by Samuel L. Clemens in his steamboat days to gauge river depth (his pen name, “Mark Twain,” was the waterman’s cry indicating a depth of two fathoms), along with the only known photograph of that famous activity.

Lives on the Mississippi” is rich in rare maps, including important “mother maps” of the Mississippi, from that of De Lisle in the sixteenth century to the engineering charts made by the young Lieutenant Robert E. Lee in the 1830s to defend St. Louis harbor; prints and paintings, including works of the poetic American impressionist, Frederick Oakes Sylvester; historic photographs, including an unrecorded image of James Eads first Civil War period “ironclad” vessel; and rare printed books, representing eras and themes from the age of discovery (Hennepin & Joliet) and other classics of Americana such as the modern “Rivers of America” series, and the works of Eifert, Bissell, Burman and Frederick Way. Original elements from early steamboats, including a floating river fisherman’s “license,” as well as detailed models of keelboats and steamboats selected from the Mercantile’s collections, round out this superb and detailed portrait of the Mississippi.

 The St. Louis Mercantile Library Association, one of the nation’s oldest libraries, and the oldest library in continuous existence west of the Mississippi was founded in 1846 by philanthropic business and industrial leaders of the day, including owners and captains of steamboats, engineers, and financial backers of many river related interests in the city.

 The Library is located today on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis and it continues to build a comprehensive collection not only of river history, but also acquires materials documenting other modes of transportation. For instance, the Library currently holds one of the largest collections of railroad history in the world, the Barriger Railroad Library, as well as the photographic archives of Trans World Airlines.

 For more information call (212) 838-6690

 Massachusetts & Rhode Island Antiquarian Booksellers Active in 2009

In September MARIAB held its quarterly meeting at the Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum. Ann C. Pingree Director Sidney E. Berger offered a lively show & tell of some of the library treasures and after lunch members toured the museum.

  On Sunday, October 18, MARIAB sponsored the 5^th Annual Pioneer Valley Book & Ephemera Fair in Northampton at the Smith Vocational School, promoted by Flamingo Eventz. All booth space was sold & attendance & sales were strong.

  In December the membership met at The Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. After lunch and a tour of the exhibits they heard a talk by director Richard Gutman and visited their library.

  After a long search MARIAB has announced they will be moving their spring show back to Boston, having contracted with Boston University to use their Track & Tennis Center at 100 Ashford Street, a spacious, well-lit, attractive, ground-level facility with plenty of parking & easy access by public transportation. The Boston Antiquarian Book Fair will be held Friday, April 30, 5-9 pm and on Saturday, May 1, 10-5 pm and will be managed by Flamingo Eventz.

 The first meeting of 2010 was scheduled for February 22, at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, on the Hampshire College campus in Amherst (MA), with a gallery tour followed by lunch and the annual meeting.