Study of a Woman in Bust-Length Three-Quarter View (recto); Summary Sketch of the Same (verso).
18th century
Medium
Black and white chalk on blue paper
Dimensions
12-5/8 x 13-3/8 in. (32.1 x 34.0 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Van Day Truex Fund and The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1999
Accession Number
1999.149a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing from 18th-century North Italy a woman in a classic bust-length, three-quarter view on the recto, with a summary sketch of the same figure on the. Created anonymously by an artist likely working in the vibrant tradition of Venetian or Lombard workshops, it exemplifies the preparatory studies essential to portraiture during the Rococo era, when detailed chalk sketches bridged observation and finished paintings. Rendered in black and white chalk blue prepared paper—a favored 18th-century technique for its tonal versatility—the recto showcases subtle modeling through hatchin...