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Donation by Pinali: 33 drawings signed by Andrea Palladio preserved in Palazzo Chiericati

A collection that represents the richest Italian nucleus of a vast series of Palladian works and which ensures that the inheritance of one of its most famous sons is kept in the birthplace of this great architect. The Pinali collection, comprising 33 drawings signed by Andrea Palladio and donated in 1838 to the city of Vicenza by the Verona-born collector Gaetano Pinali, was recently on display (30 November 2007 - 3 February 2008) in the rooms of the Civic Art Gallery in Palazzo Chiericati.

Going by the title “Da naturale inclinatione guidato”, this exhibition was one of the most important events organised to celebrate the 5th centenary of the birth of Andrea Palladio. It was a chance for the public to once again view these sheets, even though for a short period of time, which had been removed from permanent display for conservation reasons. The wishes of the donator were thus respected, albeit temporarily, as he made this gift on the proviso that they would be displayed in a special cabinet in the civic museum being set up at that time in Vicenza.

These drawings, which represent some of the most valuable evidence of the incredible amount of drawings by Palladio and his conception of drawing as a fundamental moment of research and design procedures, were restored for the occasion and a new catalogue was published by Silvana Editoriale, enriched with a section dedicated to scientific studies.

Lawyer and judge in Verona, a man with wide-ranging cultural interests and a passionate collector, Pinali chose Vicenza for his collection (which he had purchased from the Venetian widow Dal Peder) because it was the home city of the artist, where, as he wrote in the deeds accompanying the donation “they may thus be appropriately closer than anywhere else to the history and scholars of art”.

The corpus donated by Pinali to the Vicenza Museum comprises 33 sheets of which 17 are illustrated on both sides, giving a total of 50 drawings. This is the most important collection of Palladian work after the one in the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London, which is made up of over 300 pieces that belonged to Inigo Jones and Lord Burlington.

The works, some of which were realised for the edition of I Quattro Libri, include important drawings by Palladio from his study of ancient classics that he personally observed on repeated trips to Rome or other places, such as Rivoli, Pola and Ravenna. There are also drawings after the antique copied from originals by others, like the famous Temple of Clitumnus, all with hand-written notes and measurements and finally a valuable series of “presentation drawings”, ready for approval by the client, of a number of the large Venetian constructions designed by Palladio: Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge), Facciata della Scuola Grande della Misericordia (Façade of the Big School of Mercy), Palazzo sull’acqua (Building on the water).