Standing Male Nude with Hands behind Back
1510–61
Medium
Red chalk
Dimensions
15-1/4 x 6-5/8 in. (38.7 x 16.9 cm)
Classification
Portfolios
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.119.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Renaissance, Battista (ca. 1510–1561), a Venetian painter draughtsman influenced by masters like Michelangelo and Raphael, captured the male form with remarkable sensitivity in *Standing Male Nude with behind Back*. Created during his active years in Italy, this drawing exemplifies the era's fascination with classical antiquity and anatomical precision, where artists studied live models to master the idealized human body for grand paintings and sculptures. Executed in red chalk—a favored medium for its warm, fleshy tones and subtle blending capabilities—the sheet measures ...
About the Artist
Battista Franco · 1510–1561
Battista Franco, known as il Semolei, was born in Venice around 1510, though his career unfolded largely in Rome and at the courts of central and northern Italy. He came to Rome in his twenties and immediately fell under two powerful spells: the inexhaustible riches of classical antiquity and the overwhelming presence of Michelangelo. Franco spent years making drawings after ancient sculptures and...