Michelangelo Maestri

These watercolours are copies of scenes from Raphael’s frescoes adorning the ‘Stufetta del Cardinal Bibbiena’ in the Vatican, a small bathroom now located within the papal apartments. The frescoes were commissioned in 1516 by Cardinal Bibbiena, a great patron of the arts and friend of Raphael. The erotic scenes featuring naked, frolicking deities later met with horror and revulsion from his successors, a reaction largely attributable to the artistic reforms established by the Council of Trent (1545–1563) as part of the Catholic Reformation. Italian art commissioned by the papacy in the 17th century is therefore characterised by a rejection of nudity, pagan motifs or carnal desires, and instead reflects a return to piety as well as an active desire to emphasise the superiority of the Catholic Church. It is therefore likely that the frescoes in the Stufetta del Cardinal Bibbiena, now partially destroyed, were defaced during this period. The bathroom was hidden from public view and was only rediscovered in the mid-19th century. To this day, public access is granted very rarely.