Portrait of Giovanni Battista Rossa
1610–30
Medium
Black chalk, with traces of red and white chalk, on faded blue paper
Dimensions
9 9/16 x 6 7/16in. (24.3 x 16.3cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1963
Accession Number
63.91.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the intimate world of 17th-century Rome with Ottavio Leoni's *Portrait of Giovanni Battista Rossa* (1610–30), a masterful drawing now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Drawings and Prints. Leoni, known as "Il Padovano" for his Paduan origins, was a leading portraitist of his time, capturing the likenesses of nobles, artists, and scholars with remarkable sensitivity. This work exemplifies his specialty in quick yet evocative sketches of contemporary figures, reflecting the vibrant intellectual circles of early Baroque Italy. Executed in black chalk with subtle ...