Mantelpiece

Primaticcio’s work shows clear evidence of his training under Giulio Romano. Indeed, his first decorative scheme at Fontainebleau, for the Chambre du Roi, was based on a drawing by Giulio. This decoration is lost, and we can judge of Primaticcio’s early style at Fontainebleau from the chimney-piece in the Chambre de la Reine. The general design is classical in its emphasis on circular and square panels, but the proportions of the figures are elongated like those in the stuccoes in the Camera degli Stucchi in the Palazzo del T�, Mantua. The whole effect, moreover, is richer than anything to be seen in Mantua, mainly because of the higher relief.