On Two Letters with Caricatures by Pier Francesco Mola

Rodino focuses on the two letters and caricatures by artist Pier Francesco Mola. Mola (1612-1666), one of the most original draftsmen of the Roman Baroque, left behind many drawings, including numerous caricatures. Often described as ritratti carichi (loaded portraits), caricatures also function as narrative vignettes with autobiographical elements, the precise meaning of which is often now elusive. Mola's caricatures were studied in depth by Manuela Kahn-Rossi and Nicholas Turner in the catalogue of the pioneering exhibition dedicated to the artist held in Lugano and Rome in 1989-1990. Both letters are signed by Mola, and one is addressed to his friend Sebastiano Baldini (1615-1685), a well-known writer, poet, and scholar at the Roman court of Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689). Despite the strides made in recent decades, mystery still surrounds the identity of many figures portrayed in the caricatures, to what events they refer, and especially to whom the sketches were addressed. I believe that two illustrated letters acquired in 2007 by the Frits Lugt Collection, Fondation Custodia, Paris (Figs. can help clarify the type of ribald message that Mola wished to send to his friends and colleagues.