Anonymous draughtsman, Italian School
17th century
Red chalk on paper
Image 4 7/8 x 6 in. (12.4 x 15.2 cm); frame 6 x 7 in. (15.2 x 17.8 cm)
Provenance: Private New England collection
A study of a bearded man in profile facing left, the head bald and the beard rendered in loose curling strokes of red chalk, with the shoulder and upper drapery indicated at right. The handling is direct and assured, the profile idealized in the manner of Italian academic figure drawing, with tonal modeling built through confident hatching across the crown and background. Red chalk, or sanguine, was the preferred medium for figure studies among Italian draughtsmen of the 16th and 17th centuries, prized for its warmth and capacity to suggest the tones of flesh and drapery simultaneously, and studies of this type were made in preparation for figural compositions, isolating the head of an apostle, prophet, or saint for transfer to a larger work.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Anonymous draughtsman, Italian School
17th century
Red chalk on paper
Image 4 7/8 x 6 in. (12.4 x 15.2 cm); frame 6 x 7 in. (15.2 x 17.8 cm)
Provenance: Private New England collection
A study of a bearded man in profile facing left, the head bald and the beard rendered in loose curling strokes of red chalk, with the shoulder and upper drapery indicated at right. The handling is direct and assured, the profile idealized in the manner of Italian academic figure drawing, with tonal modeling built through confident hatching across the crown and background. Red chalk, or sanguine, was the preferred medium for figure studies among Italian draughtsmen of the 16th and 17th centuries, prized for its warmth and capacity to suggest the tones of flesh and drapery simultaneously, and studies of this type were made in preparation for figural compositions, isolating the head of an apostle, prophet, or saint for transfer to a larger work.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
