Who painted Navicella (recto)?

Navicella (recto) was painted by Parri Spinelli in 1414.

Where can I see Navicella (recto)?

Navicella (recto) is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Navicella (recto)?

Navicella (recto) is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Navicella (recto)

Parri Spinelli , 1414

Navicella (recto) is a drawing by the Renaissance artist Parri Spinelli. It dates from 1414 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

You see a boat full of men in rough waves, with Jesus walking toward them on the water.

You see a boat full of men in rough waves, with Jesus walking toward them on the water.

This is a rare surviving drawing from the early 1400s. Back then, artists didn’t sketch much—most work was done straight on wood or walls. Parri Spinelli copied a giant mosaic that once stood at Old Saint Peter’s in Rome. The original is gone, so his drawing is the closest we have.

To see more early Italian drawings, look up Parri Spinelli (Italian, 1387–c. 1453).

Overview

Navicella (recto) is a drawing by Parri Spinelli, a prominent painter from Arezzo, created in the early 1300s. Executed with quill pen and ink on a large paper sheet, it reproduces a composition from a lost monumental mosaic by Giotto at Old Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing depicts a biblical scene where Christ walks on water towards a ship carrying his disciples, with Saint Peter kneeling in reverence. This representation captures a pivotal moment of faith and miracle.

Technique & Style

Spinelli emphasized figure outlines using a restrained line vocabulary of parallels and perpendicularly to suggest depth and shading, characteristic of the nascent drawing practices of the period.

History & Provenance

Originally part of Spinelli’s studio model book, the drawing was separated from its collection by the 1500s. Related works on the same subject exist in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Musée Bonnat.

Context

Notably, Navicella (recto) is one of the few surviving drawings from the early 1400s, highlighting the rarity of sketching practices at the time, when most artistic work was executed directly on wood or walls.

Artist & collection

Artist

Parri Spinelli

Parri Spinelli (c. 1387 – 1453) was an Italian (Tuscan) painter of the early renaissance who was born in the Province of Arezzo. His father and teacher was Spinello Aretino (1350–1410), who was active throughout…