Sketches of Inscribed Bases of Roman Columns
n.d.
Medium
Red chalk on cream laid paper
Dimensions
18.4 × 23.7 cm (7 1/4 × 9 3/8 in.)
Classification
chalk
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81367
Art Historical Context
Nicolas Poussin, a leading figure of French Baroque classicism, created this delicate red-chalk study while immersed in the artistic riches of Rome. The sheet records the inscribed bases of ancient Roman columns, reflecting the artist’s lifelong fascination with classical antiquity. During his decades in Italy, Poussin made countless such drawings, using them as visual notes that informed the measured architecture and dignified figures of his history paintings. Executed in red chalk on cream laid paper, the work reveals Poussin’s precise yet sensitive draftsmanship. The medium’s warm tone and...
About the Artist
Nicolas Poussin · 1594–1665
Nicolas Poussin, born in June 1594 near Les Andelys in Normandy, emerged from a family of local distinction whose modest means and parental opposition could not deter his artistic calling. He received his initial training under the itinerant painter Quentin Varin in Rouen around 1611–12, absorbing lessons in storytelling, precise facial expressions, and rich colors, though without a formal long-te...