Note sul viaggio in Spagna di Angelo Michele Colonna e Agostino Mitelli

Abstract

The text details the role played by the Tuscan granducalfamily, in particular by Cardinal Giovan Carlo de' Medici, in the artistic activity of Colonna e Mitelli, above all on occasion of their sojourn in Spain. Based on documentation, the text describes the relationship between the Tuscan court, Marquis Ferdinando Cospi of Bologna and the Florentine ambassadors at the Spanish court (1658-1662).Furthermore, the author analyses certain drawings belonging to the Madrid National Library's collection. This analysis contributes to the debate on the hypothesis of graphic reconstruction of works by Colonna and Mitelli, which have been lost. Specifically, the attributive issues inherent in these drawings are discussed and, on the basis of a new iconographic interpretation, the series of frescoes in the Ermida de San Pablo of Buen Retiro is completed.