A scene from Roman history, probably Cloelia released by the Etruscan King Porsena

Executed in Taddeo’s virtuoso technique in pen and brown ink and wash, this circular drawing was likely conceived as design for maiolica, a specific artistic production in which the artist famously excelled. Taddeo produced drawings for maiolica at least from 1560, when he was commissioned by the Duke of Urbino to design an earthenware service for the King of Spain, the so-called 'Spanish Service', which was produced in Urbino and decorated with scenes from the life of Julius Caesar by the Fontana workshop. This sheet does not belong to this documented series, as proven by its fascinating subject matter - a beautiful woman on horseback– which has been recently linked by David Scrase to a passage from Livy’s history of Rome, Ab Urbe Condita (II.1, 5-11). The sheet probably illustrates a pivotal moment from the myth of Cloelia, the legendary figure who led the Roman hostages to safety on horseback across the Tiber during the war between Rome and the Etruscan King Lars Porsena in 508 BC. The survival of other circular drawings unrelated to the life of Julius Caesar shows that Taddeo executed designs for decorated maiolica, often inspired by passages from ancient history and classical mythology (J. Gere. 'Taddeo Zuccaro as designer for Maiolica', The Burlington Magazine, CV, July 1963, pp. 306-15).