Angel Playing a Lute
Medium
Red chalk, on buff laid paper, laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
24.4 × 17.1 cm (9 5/8 × 6 3/4 in.)
Classification
chalk
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
3257
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings collection, *Angel Playing a Lute by Jacopo Confortini is a charming, undated red chalk drawing on buff laid paper, laid down on ivory w paper for conservation. Measuring a intimate 24.4 × 17.1 cm (9 5/8 × 6 3/4 in.), it depicts a winged angel delicately playing a lute, evoking sense of heavenly harmony and grace. Confortini, a Florentine draftsman active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, mastered red chalk—a medium prized in Italian art for its warm, earthy tones and subtle blending capabilities. This technique allowed artist...