Four Saints (recto); Two Saints, Seated Madonna, and Kneeling Figure (verso)

Anonymous, Italian, probably Umbrian, 14th century Italian

1375–1400

Not on view

One of the earliest Italian drawings in The Met collection, this thin and fragile sheet once formed part of a late medieval model book. Such volumes contained repertories of carefully ordered motifs that could be studied and copied by members of a workshop, aiding in the instruction of young apprentices and ensuring a common style across hands. This page presents four principal figures in varying poses: a seated saint, a standing saint, the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, and a figure who prays on one knee. Rather than invent new forms, artists could repurpose these exempla in compositions for works in other media, such as paintings. That the drawing has suffered significantly speaks to its use as an essential working tool and to the vicissitudes of collecting.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Four Saints (recto); Two Saints, Seated Madonna, and Kneeling Figure (verso)
Artist: Anonymous, Italian, probably Umbrian, 14th century
Date: 1375–1400
Medium: Pen and brown ink, highlighted with white gouache
Dimensions: sheet: 10 1/2 x 7 13/16 in. (26.6 x 19.8 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Angelika and Bruce Livie, 2003
Object Number: 2003.146.1a, b
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons, Jacques Louis David French, Black chalk, pen and black and brown ink, brush and gray and brown wash, heightened with white gouache — The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons
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Souvenir of a Castle in Vosges, Victor Hugo French, Brush and iron gall washes, pen and iron gall ink, white gouache; outline of castle obtained by using a paper stencil — Souvenir of a Castle in Vosges
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The Connoisseur, Honoré Daumier French, Pen and ink, wash, watercolor, lithographic crayon, and gouache over black chalk on wove paper — The Connoisseur
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Dune Landscape with Oak Tree, Jacob van Ruisdael Dutch, Black chalk, brush and gray wash, and gouache; framing lines in pen and brown ink — Dune Landscape with Oak Tree
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