Project For The Decoration Of A Cupola "study For Two Evangelists: Saint John And Saint Luke"

Project for the decoration of a cupola. Drawing on paper "Etude pour deux évangélistes: Saint Jean et Saint Luc" unsigned. 15 X 20.5 cm. Italian school.
Our drawing, pen and ink wash, which dates from the late 16th century, is a classic iconographic study from the Counter-Reformation period. It is probably a decorative project for a ceiling or cupola, as indicated by the trapezoidal shape of the composition.
Here, two of the four evangelists, Saint John and Saint Luke, are recognizable by the zoomorphic attributes that accompany them. On the left, at the back of Saint John, we can clearly make out the head of an eagle, while on the right of Saint Luke, we see the head of an ox.
Our composition, in sotto in su (from bottom to top) is typical of fresco projects for domes or vaults in Italian churches. It's very common in churches of this period to find John and Luke paired on one pendant, while Mark and Matthew occupy the other side.
Nineteenth-century gilded wood baguette frame. Good condition.
2300 euros.