FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2025 
This Week in La Gazette Drouot : An original by Volterra
T his drawing recalls the links between Volterra and Michelangelo, as well as the figures of two great Renaissance papesses, Vittoria Colonna and Lucrezia della Rovere.
By Carole Blumenfeld
Read the full version of "An original by Volterra for the Lucrezia della Rovere chapel at Trinité-des-Monts" in La Gazette Drouot
Believed by its owners to be a "Tête d'adolescent, dessin d'Andrea del Sarto" (adolescent head, a drawing by Andrea del Sarto), this discovery is bound to ignite covetousness. Yet its interest goes beyond the simple attraction of the rediscovery for drawing enthusiasts of a rare, museum-quality sheet.
It is part of a much larger group of preparatory studies for Daniele da Volterra's fresco of theAssumption of the Virgin in the Trinità dei Monti (Rome). The juvenile figure in the foreground of the work, sorely tested by the ravages of time and extensively reworked by restorers, finds in this head of a pensive young man, leaning on his hand and turned to the right, a source of exception capable of enlightening and perfecting a forthcoming restoration campaign.
To understand the full significance of this sheet, we need to return to the intimate and fruitful relationship between Daniele da Volterra and Michelangelo. Legend has it that da Volterra was "il Braghettone", responsible for hiding the private parts of the figures in Michelangelo's Last Judgement.
This Tuscan, a pupil of the Sodoma and of Baldassare Peruzzi, then of Perino del Vaga, was the true friend in whom the master placed his trust. To this friend, Michelangelo supplied, among other things, the drawings for the Descent from the Cross (Rome, Trinità dei Monti) and the David and Goliath, which now hangs in the middle of the Grande Galerie of the Louvre.
Read the full version of "An original by Volterra for the Lucrezia della Rovere chapel at Trinité-des-Monts" in La Gazette Drouot
Believed by its owners to be a "Tête d'adolescent, dessin d'Andrea del Sarto" (adolescent head, a drawing by Andrea del Sarto), this discovery is bound to ignite covetousness. Yet its interest goes beyond the simple attraction of the rediscovery for drawing enthusiasts of a rare, museum-quality sheet.
It is part of a much larger group of preparatory studies for Daniele da Volterra's fresco of theAssumption of the Virgin in the Trinità dei Monti (Rome). The juvenile figure in the foreground of the work, sorely tested by the ravages of time and extensively reworked by restorers, finds in this head of a pensive young man, leaning on his hand and turned to the right, a source of exception capable of enlightening and perfecting a forthcoming restoration campaign.
To understand the full significance of this sheet, we need to return to the intimate and fruitful relationship between Daniele da Volterra and Michelangelo. Legend has it that da Volterra was "il Braghettone", responsible for hiding the private parts of the figures in Michelangelo's Last Judgement.
This Tuscan, a pupil of the Sodoma and of Baldassare Peruzzi, then of Perino del Vaga, was the true friend in whom the master placed his trust. To this friend, Michelangelo supplied, among other things, the drawings for the Descent from the Cross (Rome, Trinità dei Monti) and the David and Goliath, which now hangs in the middle of the Grande Galerie of the Louvre.
Discover a world of art and auctions with La Gazette Drouot
Every week, since 1891, La Gazette Drouot has been the authoritative weekly for public auctions of furniture, paintings and objets d'art. Our issues published contain thousands of articles which explain, decipher and analyse objects as well as their market, while others give leading figures a forum for sharing their passion. And not forgetting the cultural news, enlightened by in-depth articles on diverse subjects, often published for the first time.
You too can enjoy this wealth of information and images by picking up La Gazette Drouot.
You too can enjoy this wealth of information and images by picking up La Gazette Drouot.
