Feast of the Gods

This drawing by Falcieri was preparatory to one of a series of frescoes executed by the artist in the Palazzo Pellegrini in Verona in 1688, as confirmed by the inscription on the verso of the sheet (see below). Falcieri's drawing depicts a festive banquet of the gods, its multitude of languorous figures spread out across the sheet in various states of repose. The rhythmic play of the buoyant, undulating clouds against the weight and geometry of the classical architecture lends the composition great vibrancy and variation. Another Falcieri drawing, "A Classical Scene," is closely related to the Morgan drawing in style and composition, and depicts a series of figures set in a grand architectual space (Fondazione Miniscalchi Erizzo, Verona; Cuppini 1962, pp. 56, 67; Dillon 1978, pp. 129-30, cat. 36, repr.). According to Mariateresa Cuppini, this drawing was also preparatory to the Palazzo Pellegrini frescoes, no longer extant (Cuppini 1962, p. 56). Sean Leatherbury, 2009.
Related Literature: Cuppini, Mariateresa, "Alcune opera del Museo Miniscalchi Erizzo," in Pietro Gazzola (Ed.), La Fondazione Miniscalchi Erizzo (Verona, 1962); Dillon, Gianvittorio, "Biagio Falcieri," in L. Magagnato (Ed.), La pittura a Verona tra Sei e Settecento (Verona, 1978).