A Seraph (Cartoon for an Embroidery) 1466 - 1524

Raffaellino del Garbo created this cartoon for an embroidery using pen and brown ink with watercolor wash on laid paper. The image presents a seraph, an angel with two pairs of wings, set within an octagonal frame. This small study gives us insight into the religious and decorative art that was commonly produced in Florence at the turn of the sixteenth century. We know that del Garbo trained in the workshop of Filippino Lippi, which had a strong focus on the production of designs for embroidery. The design reflects a culture steeped in Catholic imagery, but it is also one in which the institutions of art making were very tightly controlled. Artists received commissions, and workshops mass-produced designs for wealthy patrons, often as part of elaborate schemes of interior decoration. The art historian uses connoisseurship, understanding artistic training and workshop practices, as well as attention to social and religious contexts to better understand the place of this beautiful and intimate drawing in its original setting.