Black Marble Bowl

Art Historical Context

Giuseppe Grisoni’s “Black Marble Bowl” is a delicate yet striking study rendered in black gouache on ivory laid paper. Measuring just 9.3 by 14.9 centimeters, the small scale invites close looking, revealing the subtle textures and reflective qualities the artist captured with opaque watercolor. Though undated, the work reflects Grisoni’s eighteenth-century practice of exploring form and material through drawing, a medium he used alongside his better-known portraits and history paintings. The choice of black gouache is especially effective here, allowing Grisoni to mimic the deep luster and veining of polished marble with rich, velvety tones. On the pale paper, the medium creates a sense of depth and weight that belies the drawing’s modest size, transforming a simple vessel into an object of quiet elegance. Such studies often served as exercises in observation or preparatory ideas for decorative objects. Now housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prints and Drawings collection, the piece offers visitors a glimpse into the intimate working methods of an artist attuned to the interplay of light, surface, and classical form.

About the Artist

Giuseppe Grisoni · 1699–1769

Giuseppe Grisoni was born in Mons, in the Spanish Netherlands, in 1699, to an Italian family, and his career unfolded across multiple European courts and cultural centers, making him a quintessentially cosmopolitan figure of the early eighteenth century. He received his artistic training in Florence, where he absorbed the rich tradition of Florentine portraiture and absorbed the influence of the G...