A Shepherd (Study for “Il Voto”) (recto); Woman Holding a Baby (Study for “Il Voto”) (verso)

Art Historical Context

Discover the intricate preparatory sketches of Francesco Paolo Michetti in *A Shepherd (Study forIl Voto”)* on the recto andWoman Holding a Baby (Study for “ Voto”)* on verso, created around 1883. This double-sided sheet captures humble, everyday figures likely destined for Michetti's monumental painting *Il Voto* (“The Vow”), a work evoking Italian rural life and devotion. At 69.5 × 42.3 cm, its generous scale allowed the artist to explore poses and expressions with immediacy. Michetti employed pastel on brown wove paper, a medium ideal for rapid studies that exploit the paper's warm tone for natural shadows and highlights. On the recto, he innovatively added wet brushwork to blend the powdery pastel into soft, fluid transitions, mimicking oil painting effects and heightening the shepherd's textured garments. The verso's drier pastel lends a delicate, tactile quality to the tender mother-and-child motif. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this piece reveals Michetti's meticulous process as a late-19th-century Italian artist, bridging preparatory drawing with grand narrative painting. It invites visitors to appreciate the hidden labor behind iconic compositions, connecting intimate sketches to cultural tales of faith and community.