Study of a Kneeling Figure (recto); Design for a Festival Chariot (verso)

Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century Italian

1530–40

Not on view

Cropped abruptly at the top border by an early collector, this remarkably vigorous drawing seems essentially to have functioned as a drapery study, and it appears to have served for an angel or a saint. The agitated, zigzagging folds of the tunic add a highly emotive quality to the figure. The study is done with bold, repeatedly reinforced outlines, pressed onto the paper, while the interior modeling remains relatively light on the surface. In these qualities, as well as in the choice of the red chalk medium, the study seems very close to the drawings of Jacopo Pontormo (1494-1556), as has been suggested by a previous scholar, and possibly dates to the 1530s. Given that Pontormo's drawing style was also emulated by a later generation of Florentine artists, however, the hypothesis for an attribution should be made with caution. The verso side of this drawing offers a design for a festival chariot in pen and brown ink.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Study of a Kneeling Figure (recto); Design for a Festival Chariot (verso)
Artist: Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century (ca. 1530-1540)
Date: 1530–40
Medium: Red chalk, over a faint study of a hand in black chalk (recto); pen and brown ink (verso)
Dimensions: sheet: 11 5/8 x 5 1/4 in. (29.5 x 13.3 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, Thomas Williams Gift, 2003
Object Number: 2003.93
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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By Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century

In the same medium

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Noli me tangere, Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century Italian, Black chalk, highlighted with white chalk, on blue paper — Noli me tangere
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Two Women with Sun and Bird (recto); Two Men Fighting and a Fallen Horse (verso), Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century Italian, Pen and dark brown ink over black chalk (recto); pen and dark brown ink (verso). Later framing outline in pen and dark brown ink on recto — Two Women with Sun and Bird (recto); Two Men Fighting and a Fallen Horse (verso)
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Drawing for a Standard with Christ in Glory Flanked by Putti, Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century Italian, Black chalk highlighted with white gouache, with some brown ink wash on blue paper, laid down — Drawing for a Standard with Christ in Glory Flanked by Putti
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Head of a Young Woman in Three-quarter View Facing Right, with Lowered Eyes, Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century Italian, Black and red chalks with slight reworking by the artist in pen and brown ink on off-white paper — Head of a Young Woman in Three-quarter View Facing Right, with Lowered Eyes
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Studies for a Nude Woman Seen from the Front (recto); Four Standing Male Nudes, Venus, and Cupid (verso), Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century Italian, Pen and brown ink — Studies for a Nude Woman Seen from the Front (recto); Four Standing Male Nudes, Venus, and Cupid (verso)
Anonymous, Italian, Florentine, 16th century
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