Horseman and Figures from a Frieze

This drawing is from the centre part of a frieze painted by Polidoro on the façade of the Palazzo Milesi in the Via della Maschera d'Oro, Rome. There is a similar copy by Rubens of the horseman in the British Museum [1895-9-15-1863], No. 225 in Catalogue of "Italian Drawings: Raphael and his Circle," 1962. This drawing is a fragment of a complete copy of the frieze which measured 9 x 20 in when it appeared in William Roscoe's sale. It was trimmed irregularly. It has been suggested that this drawing may be by Paolo Farinati [c1524 - 1606].