The virtuosity and apparent spontaneity of the great painters of the Baroque period were underpinned by laborious preparation.

The first step was a drawing. Surviving works by Bernini, "Il Baciccio" or "il Borgognone" enable us to take the measure of the extended period of experimentation and preparation that went into a work of art.

"Mercure et Paris", Annibale Carrache, fresque, galerie des amours des Dieux, Palais Farnèse, Rome

"L'Aurore", par Guido Reni - fresque, palais Pallavicini, casino dell'Aurora, Rome.

Next came the bozzetto, a small painted sketch in a rather unfinished style. It is often interpreted as the quintessence of the artist's genius, his first idea. Its imperfections appeal to us today. Bozzetti were, as a rule, spontaneous, boldly drawn pictures that modern taste often finds more personal and more successful than the polished, final work.

"Délivrance de Saint Pierre", détail
par Raphael

Then came the modello, usually a trial run for the large painting, but on a smaller scale. Clearer and more assured than the bozzetto, it was almost a definitive painting, which could be presented to the patron for approval and used as a model for the final project. At the end of the process came the ricordo or memoria, in which the master summed up the entire experience of the monumental decoration. It was a precious document to be kept for his own students or his heirs, the image of a large fresco captured in an easel painting.

Décor de la Galerie des Amours des Dieux du Palais Farnèse
par Carracci Annibale