A Standing Man
1700â1773
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-4459
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Luigi Vanvitelli’s “A Standing Man” offers a glimpse into the working practice of an accomplished 18th-century Italian artist. Created sometime during the artist’s lifetime, the figure study captures a solitary male form with quiet dignity. Though little is yet known about its precise purpose, such drawings often served as preparatory exercises or explorations of pose and proportion for larger architectural or decorative projects. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the work entered the collection through the generosity of multiple donors and the Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund. Its presenc...