A Shepherd (Study for “Il Voto”) (recto); Woman Holding a Baby (Study for “Il Voto”) (verso)
c. 1883
Medium
Pastel, with wet brush (recto), and pastel (verso) on brown wove paper
Dimensions
69.5 × 42.3 cm (27 3/8 × 16 11/16 in.)
Classification
drawings (visual works)
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
257842
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 fo...