Pellegrino Tibaldi and the drawing for the main façade of the Sanctuary of Saronno in the Victoria and Albert Museum

Abstract

The drawing for the main facade of the Sanctuary of Saronno in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is quite unknown, except for a mention by Maria Cristina Loi. The small drawing is sometimes also cited as «Disegno alla sacrata della Madonna di Savona», as this is the registration which appears in the first inventory of the Moody collection, donated in 1872 to the Victoria & Albert Museum. The drawing shows both the front and the plane of the facade, with some small differences compared to what was actually built, especially on the second level: for example, the lateral niches and – less important – the decoration of the tympanum and of the frame. In addition, the drawing is quite similar to the one preserved in the Albertina collection in Wien and the same size leads us imagine that the two drawings come from the original drawing by Pellegrino Tibaldi. The London drawing – as with many other drawings now existent in the main Milanese collections – may represent one of the exercises of architectural design planned for students in the «Accademia a beneficio de’ pittori, scultori ed architetti» founded by Federico Borromeo in 1620, in connection with the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, as had already happened in Rome and Bologna. The «Disegno della faciata della Madona di Sarono copiata dal disegno di Pelegrino» can be discussed in relation to the work of Pellegrino Tibaldi and characteristics of church facades in the late 16 th century.