Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Standing Youth with Hands Behind His Back, and a Seated Youth Reading (recto); Two Studies of Hands (verso)

1457/58–1504
Not on view
This sheet of figure studies illustrates Filippino Lippi’s virtuosity as a draftsman. His handling of the challenging technique of metalpoint is precise and descriptive. The lean, muscular male nude at left was conceived as preparatory study for either a Saint Sebastian or for Christ in a Flagellation scene. The study at right of a seated young man reading a book is probably of a workshop assistant posing as a model. The two faded studies of hands on the verso are of weaker execution than the figures on the recto. Extremely rare in Filippino's oeuvre for their large scale, they are in a style that dates no later than his Lucchese period, 1482–83, as exemplified by his Magrini altarpiece in Lucca.

(Carmen C. Bambach, 1997, revised 2014)

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Standing Youth with Hands Behind His Back, and a Seated Youth Reading (recto); Two Studies of Hands (verso)
  • Artist: Filippino Lippi (Italian, Prato ca. 1457–1504 Florence)
  • Date: 1457/58–1504
  • Medium: Metalpoint, highlighted with white gouache, on pink prepared paper (recto); metalpoint, on pink prepared paper (verso)
  • Dimensions: sheet: 9 5/8 x 8 1/2 in. (24.5 x 21.6 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1936
  • Object Number: 36.101.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
Madonna and Child, Filippino Lippi Italian, Tempera, oil, and gold on wood
Madonna and Child
Filippino Lippi
ca. 1483–84
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
Heads of Two Saints, Perugino (Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci) ? Italian, Metalpoint, reworked with brush and brown wash, highlighted with white gouache, on beige prepared paper
Heads of Two Saints
After Perugino (Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci)
1495–1510
Standing Male Figure, Filippino Lippi Italian, Soft metalpoint, highlighted with white gouache (some touches of black chalk probably added by later hand)
Standing Male Figure
Filippino Lippi
ca. 1480
Armor, Steel, copper alloy, textile, leather, Italian
Armor
Italian
ca. 1400–1450 and later

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Timeline of Art History

Entries and chronologies from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.