Studies of Hands and Bending Figures [verso]
1551 to 1600
![Studies of Hands and Bending Figures [verso] by Abraham Bloemaert](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/studies-of-hands-and-bending-figures-verso-nga-65573.webp)
Medium
red chalk heightened with white
Dimensions
overall: 28.2 x 18.5 cm (11 1/8 x 7 5/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1984.71.1.b
Art Historical Context
Abraham Bloemaert, a leading Dutch artist of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, was renowned for his masterful drawings that bridged Mannerism and the emerging Baroque style. This verso sheet, *Studies of Hands and Bending Figures* (ca. 1551–1600), showcases his skill in capturing the human form through quick, expressive sketches. Bloemaert, based in Utrecht, produced countless such studies as preparatory work for his paintings, religious altarpieces, and genre scenes, reflecting the Northern Renaissance emphasis on anatomical precision and dynamic movement. Executed in red chalk heighte...
About the Artist
Abraham Bloemaert · 1566–1651
Abraham Bloemaert (1566–1651) was born in Gorinchem in the Dutch Republic, the son of architect Cornelis Bloemaert, and grew up in Utrecht after the family relocated there in 1575. His early artistic formation took him to Paris for three years in the early 1580s, where he studied with several masters before returning to the Northern Netherlands to pursue his career. He settled permanently in Utrec...