Approfondimenti su Sebastiano del Piombo a Capodimonte

The paper examines some issues in the production of Sebastiano related to the technical aspects and conservation of works and the history of collecting. A scientific analysis of Clemente VII kept in Capodimonte has identified the materials of the preparatory layer - made of oil and resin - used on the slate to prepare it to receive the paint layers, consistent with the account given by Vasari. A re-reading of the letters concerning the commission of Ubeda Pieta`, along with examination of the inventory of goods found in the house of the painter, highlights the importance given by Sebastiano to the presentation of his paintings with frames of marble, built on his design and under his supervision. Finally, an examination of Farnese inventories reveals the existence in the collection of Fulvio Orsini of several copies of paintings by Sebastiano made by Daniele da Volterra, one of which - the »testa di Rodomonte Gonzaga« - could be identified with a small painting kept in Capodimonte, a partial copy of the Hartford Warrior.