Italian Drawings at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Containing individual masterpieces by Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian, the extensive collection of Italian drawings at the Fitzwilliam Museum ranges from the work of Pisanello in the early fifteenth century to Sandro Chia in the twentieth. This catalogue provides access to the eclectic collection in its entirety, featuring over 800 entries and 1400 colour illustrations. Spanish masterpieces by Ribera and Goya are also included. The collection was largely acquired in the twentieth century, mainly by the gift and benefaction of private individuals, and the introduction details the historical development of the collection. Special features include a sketch-book drawn in and around Paris in 1640 by Stefano della Bella and eighteenth-century Venetian drawings by the Tiepolo family. Later sketch-books of Italian costumes and an album of views in and around Naples at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius in 1822 bear witness to the development of tourism in Italy.

David Scrase is Assistant Director, Collections, and Keeper of Paintings, Drawings & Prints at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.