Studies of a male nude
1650â75
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors
Accession Number
1901-39-1809
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Carlo Maratti (1625–1713), a leading Italian Baroque artist based in Rome, created *Studies of a Male Nude* around 1650–75, during the height of the Counter-Reformation era. As a master of history painting and portraiture, Maratti drew inspiration from classical antiquity and Renaissance giants like Raphael, blending idealized anatomy with dynamic poses. These studies exemplify the rigorous training practices of 17th-century Roman academies, where artists sketched live models or plaster casts to master the male form—essential for grand religious and mythological compositions. In Baroque art, ...