Genoese Drawings

Since 1972, the département des Arts graphiques of the Musée du Louvre has published the general catalogue of Italian drawings of its collections. This eleventh volume is dedicated to Genoese Drawings from the 16th to 18th Century. The politics of the Republic of Genoa, open to trade and with a flourishing economy, were conductive to the birth of a local art nourished by the influences of foreign artists present in the city. The fame of this school soon surpassed its borders and several artists went on to illustrious careers in other cities: Castiglione in Rome, Strozzi in Venice, Castello and Cambiaso in Madrid. The book catalogues the Louvre’s almost 500 drawings, which testify to the continuity of an elegant and sophisticated style over three centuries, with marvellous works by Luca Cambiaso, the brothers Andrea and Ottavio Semino, Giovanni Battista Castello, Giovanni Battista Paggi, Giulio Benso, Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari, Bernardo Strozzi, Bartolomeo Biscaino, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione up to Domenico Piola and the De Ferrari.

Contents: Preface; Drawing; Greatness: Genoese Drawings; An Analysis of the Collection in the Musée du Louvre’s Department of Prints and Drawings; The Genoese School: Drawings and Underdrawings; List of Abbreviations and Note to Readers.

Text in French.