Study for the Duel between Heraclius and Khosrau (recto); Sketches of Seated Figure (verso)
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and pale brown wash, with black chalk (recto) and black chalk (verso), on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
27.5 × 26.6 cm (10 7/8 × 10 1/2 in.)
Classification
ink with wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
112804
Art Historical Context
This preparatory drawing by Niccolò Circignani, known as Pomarancio, captures a dramatic moment from the legendary duel between Byzantine Emperor Heraclius and Persian ruler Khosrau II. Created in 1582, the recto side explores the intense confrontation with fluid pen lines and subtle wash, while the verso features quick black chalk sketches of a seated figure, revealing the artist’s iterative process. As a Mannerist painter active in late Renaissance Rome, Circignani often produced such studies for large-scale frescoes and altarpieces commissioned by the Church during the Counter-Reformation. ...