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| Annibale Carracci Figure of Justice for Palazzo Farnese ca. 1596-98 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
"Now that Annibale had completed the Gallery as well as the other works in the palace, the cardinal desired him to paint in the hall the heroic deeds of the great Alessandro Farnese who had died not many years before in Flanders, and he also had it in mind to employ him on the cupola of the church of the Gesù in Rome, which had been painted earlier on commission of his uncle, with little success, in the styles of those times, hence he had resolved to do it over again, with the four Doctors below on the pendentives. But such noble plans were not realized, nor did the Roman Alexander have his Appelles, owing to the perfidy of fortune, which always opposes virtue and stands in the way of beautiful and honorable enterprises. The cardinal wished to remunerate Annibale for his labors during his engagement in so many works over the course of eight years, from the time of his arrival in Rome; and while he awaited the results of this prince's liberality, his fortunes were crossed through the wicked intervention of a favorite courtier, Don Juan de Castro, a Spaniard, who was wont to meddle in all his master's affairs. That man counted up the bread, wine, and wages for the whole time that Annibale had been a member of the household, and putting this against the account, he persuaded the cardinal to send him a gift of five hundred scudi, which accordingly were brought to him in his room, on a salver. Poor Annibale fell speechless at that outcome and made no response; he did show his chagrin quite clearly on his face, not in regard to the money, for which he cared not at all, but at the thought that he had exhausted his spirits and had no hope of relief as to the necessities of life, having fallen victim to the injustice of fate. Such is the unfortunate situation of the court, of princes, and of the fine arts, when certain men oppress others for their own advantage and being in favor arrogate everything to themselves, driving virtue from the house with their ignorance and their presumption. At which point, I cannot keep from reflecting on the ways of the world, when nowadays we see the same amount or a greater price than that of the Gallery paid for a few daubs, or to express it better, trifles from his brush: such is the power of the mere name of talent, which in most cases time brings to light too late. Now because Annibale was by nature melancholic and extremely apprehensive, he grew so much worse thinking of his misfortune that he was never again able to be cheerful; and he fell into a state of not painting any more, and when he wanted to he could not, and was forced to abandon the brushes that melancholy took from his hand."
– from the Life of Annibale Carracci (1672) by Giovan Pietro Bellori, translated by Alice Sedgwick Wohl (Cambridge University Press, 2005)
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| Annibale Carracci Apollo giving the lyre to Mercury ca. 1600 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Mars and Venus embracing on a bed in a landscape before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Youth asleep in a chair before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Head of a youth before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Study for St Andrew before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| attributed to Annibale Carracci Battling Centaurs before 1605 drawing British Museum |
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| Annibale Carracci Young painter at work before 1605 drawing British Museum |
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| Annibale Carracci Figure study from the back ca. 1595-98 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Crowned figure with book and palm branch before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Study of drapery for seated Virgin before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Study of drapery for kneeling prophet before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Classical statue - daughter of Niobe before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| Annibale Carracci Head of youth in profile before 1605 drawing Royal Collection, Windsor |