Ciampelli

Trained in Florence in the workshop of Santi di Tito, Agostino Ciampelli learned early to build his compositions from drawings made after nature – an exercise he would practice throughout his life. In 1585 he joined the Accademia del Disegno and soon took part in several major Florentine decoration projects: the Tribune of the Uffizi under Jacopo Ligozzi, designs for pietra dura tabletops (1588), and above all the lavish ephemeral decorations for the wedding of Christine of Lorraine and Grand Duke Ferdinando de’ Medici in 1589.

Ciampelli left few works in Florence, yet they rank among the most representative of his early style: the Nativity of the Virgin (1593, San Michelino Visdomini), and paintings for the Palazzo Corsi, commissioned by Archbishop Alessandro de’ Medici, his future patron. In Pescia, several early works survive, such as The Calling of Saint Andrew (sacristy of the Duomo) and The Visitation (church of SS. Stefano e Nicolao), which reveal Santi di Tito’s influence combined with Venetian touches introduced by Passignano.

In 1594, Ciampelli left Florence for Rome, following Cardinal Alessandro de’ Medici, the future Pope Leo XI. Settled in the cardinal’s palace at Trinità dei Monti, he contributed to the decoration of Santa Prassede, and later worked for San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria in Trastevere, San Vitale, the Gesù, and Santa Maria del Pianto. His clear, direct, and narrative style was perfectly attuned to the ideals of the Counter-Reformation, which called for accessible and didactic imagery.

Ciampelli’s success in Rome stemmed from his ability to promote a restrained style, marked by a new narrative clarity, fully in keeping with the principles laid down by the Council of Trent. However, after Leo XI’s early death in 1605, he was deprived from an important source of support. Renewing his ties with Florence, he joined the Arciconfraternita di San Giovanni dei Fiorentini in Rome, for whose church he produced several major religious compositions between 1612 and 1614. His mature works, such as The Baptism of Christ (Galleria Corsini) and The Funeral of Michelangelo (Casa Buonarroti, 1617), reveal a move toward a more classical manner, close to that of Lodovico Cigoli.

Elected Prince of the Accademia di San Luca in 1623-1624, Ciampelli’s career culminated with prestigious commissions under Pope Urban VIII, notably the frescoes of Santa Bibiana (1624–1626) and several Vatican projects. Appointed Soprastante della Fabbrica di San Pietro alongside Bernini in 1629, he died in Rome a few months later.

Ciampelli was also an active draughtsman. His drawings are preserved in the Uffizi in Florence, the Louvre in Paris, the Gabinetto Nazionale delle Stampe in Rome, and several other major museums. An important and little-known group is held at the Muzeum umění in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Described by Catherine Goguel as a “sensitive and inventive draughtsman, whose drawings are generally characterized by a painterly and colorful handling,”[1] Ciampelli was also methodical: Baglione reports that he kept a small libretto in which he had painted, in miniature watercolor, all the works he had executed during his life[2] – a document now lost.

This beautiful and lively drawing is a preparatory study for one of the painted compositions executed for the ephemeral decorations designed by Bernardo Buontalenti to celebrate the marriage of Christine of Lorraine. It depicts The Duke of Guise Taking Calais. Painted by Agostino Ciampelli on the triumphal arch erected at the Canto dei Carnesecchi this episode commemorated the victorious capture of Calais in 1558 by Christine’s ancestor, François de Lorraine, Duke of Guise,[3] and exalted the valor of the House of Lorraine united by marriage to the power of the Medici.