Study for a Ceiling Decoration, with Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well (recto); Study for a Ceiling Decoration (verso)
1569/73
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, on cream laid paper, squared in graphite and red chalk (recto and verso)
Dimensions
36.3 × 23.7 cm (14 5/16 × 9 3/8 in.)
Classification
ink with wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
112715
Art Historical Context
Giorgio Vasari’s *Study for a Ceiling Decoration* captures a pivotal moment in late Renaissance artistic practice. Created between 1569 and 1573, this double-sided drawing served as a preparatory design for an elaborate ceiling fresco or painted vault. On the recto, Vasari depicts the biblical encounter of Rebecca and Eliezer at the well, a narrative often chosen to symbolize divine providence and hospitality. The verso offers another ceiling scheme, revealing the artist’s methodical exploration of compositional possibilities. Executed in pen and brown ink with fluid brush washes, the sheet d...
About the Artist
Giorgio Vasari · 1511–1574
Vasari was a productive court artist and architect in Florence during the first half of the 16th century, with his primary patrons being Alessandro and Ippolito de' Medici, until 1537 with the death of Alessandro. However, he is most well known for his book "Le vite de' più eccellenti architetti, pittori, et scultori Italiani," which was first published in 1550, and once again in 1568 in an expand...