Heraclius entering Jerusalem with the True Cross.

Drawing, black chalk, brown ink, brown wash, framing line in brown ink, 29,6 x 26,0 cm, laid paper (no watermark), unsigned, illegible (later?) inscription in pen at bottom right (some spots, few holes at left and lower edges, flattened vertical fold at centre, traces of former mount on verso).

The Byzantine Emperor Heraclius carrying the True Cross in modest dress, while his entourage is holding his royal garments. Around him several spectators worshipping the Holy Cross. Accomplished drawing with the horse at right perfectly drawn in perspective. Attributed to the circle of Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), who used the same combination of black chalk, brown ink and brown wash. In terms of technique and composition, our sheet shows striking similarities to a drawing by Vasari in Paris (Louvre, inv. 2171), which is a design drawing for the fresco cycle in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Also note the similarities in style, such as the faces and pointy fingers. The True Cross is also the subject of the famous fresco cycle by Piero della Francesca (ca. 1412-1492) in the Basilica di San Francesco in Arezzo, the hometown of Vasari.
Ref. Not in F. Härb, The drawings of Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), Rome 2015.