Johan Tobias Sergel

Executed in Rome between 1768-1769.

During his early Rome period (1767-77) Sergel executed a number of large figurative stidies after the antique, Raphael's frescos in Villa Farnesina and the Vatican, Annibale Caracci's frescoes in Palazzo Farnese and Dominichino's frescoes in the church os S. Andrea della Valle, S. Carlo a Catarinaand the chapel of S. Luigi de Francesi, all in red chalk. Through letters to the Swedish count Carl Bonde, who was in Rome in December-January 1768, in which Sergel discusses these studies, O. Antonsson, "Sergels Ungdom och Romtid", 1942, p. 137, has been able to date the majority of these studies more or less accurately.

"Rome ce 7 Maij 1768/Je travaille tant que je peux après l'antique, gui est mon seul maitre à present jusque à ce que je commencerai à dessiner après Domenichino et Rafael: je ferai mon possible pour me rendre digne de votre amitié et protection/ and Rome se 26 d'Aout 1769/Depuis que vous étes parti, j'ai continué mes études apreès l'antique. Cette année j'ai dessin's après Carage et continue acruallement depuis trois mois à dessiner Raphael à la Farnèsine; en deux ou trois semaines j'irais au Vatican/."

The drawings after the antique were executed between January and the summer of 1768, the drawings after Caracci's frescos in Palazzo Farnese, between January and May 1769, and the drawings after Raphael, between June and the end of that year.