Renaissance into Baroque. Italian Master Drawings by the Zuccari, 1550-1600

This exhibition catalogue is the first in North America to treat the art of Taddeo and Federico Zuccaro, the Roman artists of the late Mannerist period. The 103 drawings in the exhibition are drawn from major and obscure public and private collections in North America. The introduction and entries attempt to chart the magnitude of the contributions of the short-lived elder brother, Taddeo, and the efforts of his younger brother, Federico, to disseminate the Roman style throughout Italy and the rest of Europe. The author assesses, in addition to the relationship of drawings to finished paintings, the myths related to Taddeo's career and the frequently contentious relatonships of Federico with the artistic establishment in Rome, Venice, Florence and elsewhere. Probably the most famous artists in Italy between the death of Michelangelo and the advent of Caravaggio, the art of the Zuccaro brothers is little known in the English-speaking world.