Historical Scene (Composition Study for Chapelle de Guise)
16th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, highlighted with white gouache over traces of black chalk; framing outlines with pen and brown ink
Dimensions
sheet: 6 9/16 x 10 1/16 in. (16.6 x 25.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Anonymous Gift, 2004
Accession Number
2004.492
Tags
Art Historical Context
Niccolò dell'Abate, a prominent Mannerist artist from Bologna (c. 1509–1571), created this *Historical Scene (Composition Study for Chapelle de Guise in the 16th. Working in France at the invitation of the powerful Guise family, dell'Abate contributed to the opulent Fontainebleau School, blending Italian elegance with French grandeur. This drawing served as a preparatory study fores in the Chapelle deise at the Château d'Anet, capturing dynamic figures of men and horses in a bustling historical tableau—likely evoking battles or triumphs from classical antiquity. Executed on a modest sheet (6 ...