The Handing Over of the Pandects, ca. 1511 – 1512

About the Work

In the Vatican's Stanza della Segnatura, opposite to the fresco of the Parnassus, Justice is depicted. To the left of the window we see the historical presentation of the codified Roman civil law (the Pandects) to Emperor Justinian. The brush-and-ink drawing which establishes how the light is to be distributed is very lively in quality, even in its sketchier passages. The pen-and-ink drawing on the back, related to a composition of the Resurrection of Christ, is a workshop copy.