Christ at Emmaus Presenting the Bread
1630/40
Medium
Black chalk, heightened with white chalk, on gray laid paper with blue fibers
Dimensions
30.2 × 24.2 cm (11 15/16 × 9 9/16 in.)
Classification
chalk
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
151449
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Depicted in profile, Christ seems compellingly real, his humanity as tangible as the bread he holds in his gnarled hands or the folds of his cloak on the chair. Drawn with black and white chalks on a somewhat faded blue paper, this sheet was undoubtedly a preparatory study for one of the 18 known paintings of the Supper at Emmaus produced by this Genoese-born artist and his workshop, probably during his later years working in Venice. For a Capuchin monk like Strozzi, the story of Christ’s appear...
About the Artist
Bernardo Strozzi · 1581–1644
Strozzi was one of the most influential painters in Italy during the early 17th century, particularly in Genoa and Venice. His powerful and painterly religious works, genre scenes, and portraits are distinguished by their rich, glowing color and broad, energetic brushstrokes. Comment on works: Still Life; Religious; Portraits