Enfilade

Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola, called Il Parmigianino, Man Standing Beside a Plinth on which He Rests a Book, and a Study of Saint Luke, ca. 1530, Pen and brown ink, brown wash, on paper. Purchased by Pierpont Morgan in 1909 (The Morgan Library & Museum)

Pierre-Jean Mariette (1694–1774) was one of the earliest and most important collectors of drawings, and he played a pivotal role in shaping our modern conception of the artists who created them. The exhibition—the first ever devoted to the collector at a U.S. museum—will highlight the peculiar ways in which Mariette organized and presented his holdings.

In order to enhance the appearance of the drawings and to improve their legibility, Mariette often restored (completing, cleaning, and even dismembering) his sheets. He cut them, integrated them with additions, completed and assembled together fragmentary sheets, and sometimes split double-sided drawings using his extraordinary ability as a paper restorer. Moreover, Mariette provided his drawings with elaborate frame-like blue mounts, which are still highly prized by collectors. Drawings featured in this show include works from the Morgan’s collection as well as sheets from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Princeton University Art Museum. Among the artists represented are such masters as Parmigianino (1503–1540), Annibale Carracci (1560–1609), and Guercino (1591–1666).