Battle of Tullus Hostilius against the Veientes and Fidenates

The sheet is one of the preparatory studies executed by Arpino for the Battle
of Tullus Hostilius against the Veientes and Fidenates in the Palazzo dei
Conservatori. Numerous studies survive for the fresco, which can be dated
between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th (1).
Furthermore, two oil sketches on canvas are known, now preserved
respectively in the Galleria Borghese and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Caen
(2). Although the drawing presents differences compared to the final version,
it constitutes the only known evidence in which the battle displays a higher
degree of complexity than the other studies. The sheet shows losses and
damage occurred in the past, as evidenced by the presence of a backing on
laid paper datable to at least the 18th century; the graphic integrations
appear to have been executed by a hand stylistically very close to that of
Cesari.