Unknown artist (Italian)'Studies of Cherubs for Ceiling Decoration', drawing

Unknown artist (Italian)'Studies of Cherubs for Ceiling Decoration', drawing, probably 1650. Museum no. CAI 1050

Unknown artist (Italian)
'Studies of Cherubs for Ceiling Decoration'
About 1650
Red chalk
Museum no. CAI 1050
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

This sheet of lively sketches was previously attributed to Poussin's friend François Duquesnoy, a Flemish sculptor who worked in Rome and carved a series of reliefs of children. These studies appear to have been made in preparation for a painted ceiling which included flying cherubs. The unidentified artist evidently drew from life, inventing various different airborne poses for his infant model.

Giorgio Vasari, 'St Peter and St John Blessing the People of Samaria'

Giorgio Vasari, 'St Peter and St John Blessing the People of Samaria', about 1557. Museum no. CAI 259

Giorgio Vasari (1511-74)
'St Peter and St John Blessing the People of Samaria'
About 1557
Pen and ink and wash
Museum no. CAI 259
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

Best known as the author of The Lives of the Artists, Vasari was also a leading painter of the later Renaissance in Florence. This is his design for a painting depicting a scene from the Acts of the Apostles (now in Berlin). The crowded composition shows Christ's apostles blessing the people of Samaria in the presence of the Holy Spirit. It has the collector's mark of Count Gelozzi of Turin, 18th century.

Pier Francesco Mola, 'A Caricature of a Man with Four Flying Letters'

Pier Francesco Mola, 'A Caricature of a Man with Four Flying Letters', about 1647-57. Museum no. CAI 264

Pier Francesco Mola (1612-66)
'A Caricature of a Man with Four Flying Letters'
About 1647-57
Pen and ink and wash
Museum no. CAI 264
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

A letter-writer reacts in alarm as his correspondence sprouts wings and flutters away like a flock of birds. When Ionides bought this drawing it was thought to be a contemporary work by Daumier, one of his favourite French artists. However, it was later noticed that the flying letters are inscribed 'Mola', a 17th century Roman artist known for his caricatures.

Unknown artist (Netherlandish or German),'Diana and Neptune'

Unknown artist (Netherlandish or German),'Diana and Neptune', about 1580-90. Museum no. CAI 364

Unknown artist (Netherlandish or German)
'Diana and Neptune'
About 1580-90
Wash and bodycolour
Museum no. CAI 364
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

The bold contrast of light and shade ('chiaroscuro') and high finish achieved with brush and bodycolour are characteristic of late 16th century northern drawings. The title comes from an old inscription but does little to explain the scene. Diana, with a crescent moon in her hair, appears to spurn a bearded suitor, while Cupid symbolically breaks his bow.

Cristoforo Roncalli, called Il Pomarancio

Cristoforo Roncalli, called Il Pomarancio, 'Half-Length Study of a Youth with a Raised Left Arm', about 1609. Museum no. CAI 374

Cristoforo Roncalli, called Il Pomarancio
'Half-Length Study of a Youth with a Raised Left Arm'
About 1609
Red chalk
Museum no. CAI 374
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

This is one of several preparatory drawings connected with frescoes which Roncalli executed in the dome of the Basilica at Loreto (later destroyed). As other drawings for the scheme show, the study was used for the figure of an angel perching on a balustrade. In the finished work, another angel mirrored this pose on the other side of the fresco.

Copy after Andrea Mantegna, 'The Battle of the Sea Gods'

Copy after Andrea Mantegna, 'The Battle of the Sea Gods', about 1470-80. Museum no. CAI 406

Copy after Andrea Mantegna (about 1431-1506)
'The Battle of the Sea Gods'
About 1470-80
Pen and ink
Museum no. CAI 406
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

This drawing is a skilful and meticulous copy of the left-hand section of an original double-sheet engraving which Mantegna made as a riposte to Pollaiuolo's frieze-like Battle of Nude Men. Close in spirit and technique to Mantegna's original, it is probably by an artist from his inner circle, perhaps a workshop assistant.

Circle of Titian, 'Studies for a Kneeling Man and Head'

Circle of Titian, 'Studies for a Kneeling Man and Head', about 1510-20. Museum no. CAI 418

Circle of Titian (1506-76)
'Studies for a Kneeling Man and Head'
About 1510
Chalk
Museum no. CAI 418
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

Ionides bought this drawing from J.C. Robinson, a leading connoisseur of the day, who had played a crucial role in building the Museum's collections. At various times, it has been given optimistic attributions to Giorgione and Titian. The bold handling and dynamic stance connect it with early drawings by Titian, but the confusion in the kneeling pose suggests a lesser hand.

Unknown Artist (French), 'A Bird of Prey'

Unknown Artist (French), 'A Bird of Prey', drawing, about 1675 to 1725. Museum no. CAI 558

Unknown Artist (French)
'A Bird of Prey'
About 1675 to 1725
Drawing
Black chalk
Museum no. CAI 558
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

The bird appears to be a kind of hawk or harrier, but as there is no specific detail such as patterning on the plumage, it cannot be precisely identified. For this reason the drawing is unlikely to have been made as a scientific representation of a particular species. Instead, it is probably a preparatory study for a detail in a painting

Unknown artist (German), 'Fantastic Horse and Rider'

Unknown artist (German), 'Fantastic Horse and Rider', about 1600. Museum no. CAI 595

Unknown artist (German)
'Fantastic Horse and Rider'
About 1600
Pen and ink and wash
Museum no. CAI 595
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

This spirited drawing depicts a naked witch mounted on a fiery steed and bearing her boiling cauldron aloft on a forked stick. It reveals the continuing taste for extravagant and macabre subject matter that had fascinated German and Swiss artists since the early 16th century.

Andrea Mantegna, 'A Bacchanal with Silenus'

Andrea Mantegna, 'A Bacchanal with Silenus', crowning of Silenus, about 1470. Museum no. CAI 600

Andrea Mantegna (about 1431-1506)
'A Bacchanal with Silenus'
About 1470
Crowning of Silenus
Museum no. CAI 600
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

A key figure in the Italian Renaissance, Mantegna drew both his style and subject matter from the art of classical Rome. His bold engravings, which admirably reflect his skills as a draughtsman, were rediscovered by collectors in the late 19th century. This scene shows the crowning of Silenus who, inspired by wine, was victorious in a poetic contest.

Antonio Pollaiuolo, 'The Battle of Nude Men' (also known as The Gladiators)

Antonio Pollaiuolo, 'The Battle of Nude Men' (also known as The Gladiators), late 1460s. Museum no. CAI 793

Antonio Pollaiuolo (1429/33-98)
'The Battle of Nude Men' (also known as The Gladiators)
About 1460
Engraving
Museum no. CAI 793
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

This is one of the largest and most technically accomplished early Italian engravings. Even in Ionides' day, it was a rarity. Although this is a rather late, worn impression, it was a prize of his collection. The complex scene shows Pollaiuolo's skill in composition, acquired through a study of classical relief sculpture, and his unusually advanced understanding of anatomy

This was bought by Ionides from Goupil in 1882 for £75 with a group of prints by Mantegna.