Standing Youth with Hands Behind His Back, and a Seated Youth Reading (recto); Two Studies of Hands (verso)
1457/58–1504
Medium
Metalpoint, highlighted with white gouache, on pink prepared paper (recto); metalpoint, on pink prepared paper (verso)
Dimensions
sheet: 9 5/8 x 8 1/2 in. (24.5 x 21.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.101.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Filippino Lippi, a leading Florentine painter of the late 15th century (145/58–1504), created this double-sided drawing as a preparatory study, capturing the grace of youth in everyday poses. On the recto, a standing youth stands pensively with hands clasped behind his back, while a seated figure intently reads—a nod to Renaissance ideals of contemplation and learning. The verso features two detailed studies of hands, showcasing Lippi's mastery of anatomy and gesture, likely sketches for larger frescoes or altarpieces in churches like Santa Maria Novella. Crafted in metalpoint—a fine, precise...
About the Artist
Filippino Lippi · 1457–1504
Filippino Lippi was born around 1457 in Prato, the illegitimate son of the celebrated Florentine painter Fra Filippo Lippi and the nun Lucrezia Buti, who later received a papal dispensation to marry. The family moved to Spoleto, where young Filippino assisted in his father's workshop on the fresco cycle *Life of the Virgin* in the cathedral. Following Fra Filippo's death in 1469, when Filippino wa...