A Sibyl

Trained in Florence and Bologna, Galeotti was a late, exuberant decorator in the High Baroque tradition of Pietro da Cortona. In Genoa, his style represented a more analytical and structured alternative to the indigenous styles of Piola, de Ferrari, and their followers. His first project in the city was the decoration of the nave vault and cupola in Santa Maria Maddalena with scenes from the life of the eponymous saint. This drawing is a preparatory study for the Saint Martha, a sister of the Magdalene, which occupies the cupola’s southwest pendentive. Characteristic of Galeotti’s drawings are its amplitude, exaggerated foreshortening, faceted surface, and layered technique. The Collection includes three other drawings of the same technique, comprising an important nucleus of the artist’s graphic work.