Fragment of a Composition with a Reclining Semi-Nude Man Surrounded by Soldiers and Other Onlookers in a Landscape
1634–1705
Medium
Pen and brown ink. Squared for transfer in red chalk
Dimensions
15 11/16 x 8 11/16in. (39.8 x 22.1cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry Walters, 1917
Accession Number
17.236.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 17th-century Baroque art Luca Giordano, a prolific Neapolitan painter (1634–1705), shines through this dynamic drawing fragment. Titled *Fragment of a Composition with a Reclining Semi-N Man Surrounded by Soldiers Other Onlookers in Landscape*, it captures a moment: a semi-nude figure reclines amid attentive soldiers and figures in a rugged setting. Giordano, influenced by masters like Rubens, was renowned for his energetic compositions and sweeping narratives, often evoking biblical or mythological drama—though the exact subject here remains tantalizingly fragmentary....
About the Artist
Luca Giordano · 1634–1705
Luca Giordano (1634–1705) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque period who was one of the most prolific and versatile artists of the seventeenth century, earning the nickname "Luca fa presto" ("Luca works fast") for his extraordinary speed of execution. Born in Naples, he studied under José de Ribera and traveled extensively in Italy, absorbing influences from the Venetian colorists, Pietro d...