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A black and white chalk drawing of a nude statue is drawn from behind, leaning against a pilaster inside a niche.

A black and white chalk drawing of a nude statue is drawn from behind, leaning against a pilaster inside a niche. The statue is missing a head and arm. The niche is dark but the statue’s upper torso is bathed in light so that the statue’s flesh and muscles appear supple. The statue crosses its legs at the knees in a classic contrapposto pose. The drawing is very worked up and the contours of the nude, rendered in the sfumato technique, are soft.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1997.203
People
Attributed to Sebastiano del Piombo, Italian (Venice, Italy c. 1485 - 1547 Rome, Italy)
Title
Study of an Antique Statue Seen from the Rear in a Niche
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
16th century
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Italy, Veneto, Venice
Culture
Italian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/299633

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Black and white chalk, stumped, on blue antique laid paper, framing lines in brown ink
Dimensions
39.9 × 18.8 cm (15 11/16 × 7 3/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: l.l., verso, brown ink: Fra Basto. Al piombo
  • collector's mark: l.l.: L. 2885
  • inscription: l.l. and l.r., brown ink: Both appear to be part of inscriptions, now indecipherable and cut-off
  • inscription: verso, top center, brown ink: indecipherable

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Nicholas Lanier, London (Lugt 2885). [Christie's, London, July 4, 1978, lot 32 ("the property of a gentleman)] sold; to Vermeer Associates Limited, sold; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1997

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Purchase through the generosity of an anonymous donor in honor of Lucy Rowland
Accession Year
1997
Object Number
1997.203
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Publication History

  • David Ekserdjian, "Parmigianino and Michelangelo", Master Drawings (1993), vol. XXXI, no. 4, pp. 390-394, fns. 16 and 22, repr. fig. 4 as Anonymous Venetian Artist, ca. 1520
  • Old Master Drawings, auct. cat., Christie's, London (London, England, July 7, 1998), no. 32 as Venetian School, ca. 1520
  • Stephan Wolohojian, Sacred and Profane Visions from Renaissance Venice, brochure, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2001), cat. no. 22 as attributed to

Exhibition History

  • Sacred and Profane Visions from Renaissance Venice, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/17/2001 - 07/23/2001

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu