The Drawings of Bronzino (Metropolitan Museum of Art) [Hardcover]

Carmen C. Bambach (Author), Janet Cox-Rearick (Author), George R. Goldner (Author), Philippe Costamagna (Contributor), Marzia Faietti (Contributor), Elizabeth Pilliod (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2010 | Series: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Drawings by the great Italian Mannerist painter and poet Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572) are extremely rare. This important and beautiful publication brings together for the first time nearly all of the sixty drawings attributed to this leading draftsman of the 16th century.

 

Each drawing is illustrated in color, discussed in detail, and shown with many comparative photographs. Bronzino's technical virtuosity as a draftsman and his mastery of anatomy and perspective are vividly apparent in each stroke of the chalk, pen, or brush. The younger generations of Florentine artists particularly admired Bronzino for his technical virtuosity as a painter, and Giorgio Vasari praised him for his powers as a disegnatore (designer and draftsman).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Metropolitan catalog happily restores Vasari''s words to their true meaning, through essays that manage with uncommon skill to address both a general readership and specialists."—Ingrid D. Rowland, The New York Book Review

(Ingrid D. Rowland, The New York Book Review )

“...seminal, lavish…”—Financial Times

(Financial Times )

“Their success in lending a new stature to a famous 16th-century Italian artist is no mean achievement.”—The Art Newspaper (The Art Newspaper )

“This splendid catalogue introduces him as draughtsman and printmaker, discusses (bravely) his collaborations, and places him in the context of his time. Brilliant."—London Life Books (London Life Books )

”[A] spectacular catalog. . . [and]. . . the show is a scholarly tour de force.”—Holland Cotter, The New York Times

(Holland Cotter The New York Times )

About the Author

Carmen C. Bambach is Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Janet Cox-Rearick is Distinguished Professor Emerita, The Graduate Center, CUNY.  George R. Goldner is Drue Heinz Chairman of the Department of Drawings and Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Philippe Costamagna is Curator of the Musée Fesch, Ajaccio, Corsica.  Marzia Faietti is Director of the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi, Florence. Elizabeth Pilliod is Professor, the State University of New Jersey-Camden.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art (February 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300155123
• ISBN-13: 978-0300155129
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Mannerism
  • #98 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Renaissance

More About the Author

Carmen C. Bambach, Ph.D is Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bronzino on paper: better than Bronzino on canvas., January 23, 2010

By 

Claude Reich (Florianopolis, Brazil and Paris, France) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Drawings of Bronzino (Metropolitan Museum of Art) (Hardcover)

This book is the catalog for the current show at the Met in NYC, which is the first exhibition ever devoted in the US to one of the masters of Mannerism in XVIth-century Florence. It is probably one of the best publications put out by the museum in recent years, both for the high-quality illustrations and for the scholarly text.

59 drawings by, or thought to be by, Bronzino, are studied here (his nearly entire known production) and the high point of the book is its explanation why they are thought to be by Bronzino himself and not by other contemporary mannerist artists such as Pontormo. The book also enables the reader to discover a master draughtsman, an artist who used the line as an unequalled means of expression, an artist much more impressive in these small works on paper than in his often pompous court portraits of the rich and famous of the time.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting discoveries of neglected Bronzino drawings, February 18, 2010

By 

Ivor E. Zetler (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Drawings of Bronzino (Metropolitan Museum of Art) (Hardcover)

Agnolo Bronzino (1503-72) was the pupil, assistant and probably the lover of Pontormo. He was also the court painter for Cosimo I de' Medici. Today this mannerist artist is primarily remembered for his elegant portrait paintings; his drawings are seldom featured in the many exhibition catalogues that I have encountered. Thus it is a rare treat to encounter a volume that showcases his entire known output of drawings.

There are 60 drawings executed by or attributed to Bronzino presented in this superb Metropolitan Museum catalogue. 26 of these are in the possession of the Uffizi Museum in Florence. Bronzino's drawings, primarily figure studies, were executed as preparatory sketches for paintings. The works are generally of exceptional quality and interest; one is left to wonder why they have received such scant attention in the past. Although they might not approach the originality and standard of the great drawers such as Rubens, Raphael or Michelangelo, Bronzino's efforts are not far behind.

Additional to the drawings are 62 unannotated color reproductions of Bronzino's paintings and tapestry designs. The standard of the color reproductions (mostly life sized for the drawings) are exceptional as is the general printing and paper quality. The essays and annotations are by authorities on Bronzino. Three cheers to the Metropolitan for a wonderful publication.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Souvenir of a Great Show, April 28, 2010

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T. G. Weaver - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Drawings of Bronzino (Metropolitan Museum of Art) (Hardcover)

This is one of the best show catalogs that I have ever seen. The reproductions of Bronzino's masterful drawings are exceptionally accurate and vivid. Anyone interested in drawing should have this book!