Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Antonio Puglieschi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

At the center of the composition Christ in glory points to the Holy Cross supported by angels. In the foreground are seated, among angels and putti, Saint Peter, the Blessed Virgin, Eve, Adam, Saint John the Baptist, and another Apostle, probably Saint Paul. The old annotation on the reverse of the sheet correctly identifies the purpose of the drawing: it is a study for the central section of the frescoed cupola in the chapel dedicated to the Holy Cross and the Passion of Christ, the second on the right in Saint Frediano in Cestello, Florence. This chapel was endowed in 1700. See nos. 1987.288 and 1987.307 for other drawings by Antonio Franchi (il Lucchese) related to San Frediano in Cestello.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.