Baccio Bandinelli (Florence, 1493-1560) was one of the sculptors that worked for the house of Medici during the first half of the XVI century. A pupil of Giovan Francesco Rustici, he was strongly influenced by Michelangelo. One of his main works, Hercules and Cacus, is visible in the Piazza della Signoria and seen by millions of tourists each year. He also worked in Rome where he had been called by pope Clement VII. But, while his talent for sculpture was put in doubt by critics and rivals (Benvenuto Cellini, for instance), Bandinelli's extraordinary drawing skills were universally appreciated - Vasari declared him "unrivalled" in this domain. Over two hundred drawings held in the Louvre are analysed in this scholarly publication: they include autograph drawings, those by his workshop and those rejected. Contents: Preface by Henri Loyrette Foreword by Carel van Tuyll van Serooskerken Biography by Dominique Cordellier Introduction by Françoise Viatte Plates Catalogue: Autograph drawings: 79 entries Drawings by the workshop of Bandinelli and copies: 76 entries Rejected drawings: 64 entries Sculptures: 3 entries Paintings: 1 entry Text in French. AUTHOR: Francoise Viatte has been curator and later director of the Prints and drawings department of the Musée du Louvre for over forty years. During her tenure the department was engaged in a complete computerisation of the collections, now all accessible on the web. A great expert on Italian drawings, Viatte has co-curated many exhibits and written several books. Amongst them Dessins baroque fiorentins du Musée du Louvre (1982), Raphael dans les collections françaises (1983), and Leonard de Vinci (2005). SELLING POINTS: ?A major scholarly monograph on Baccio Bandinelli's drawings ?Part of the series cataloguing the drawings of the Musée du Louvre ILLUSTRATIONS 280 b/w t48 colour images *
