Three Sketches: Fortitude, a Sandal, and Grotesques (recto); Sketches of Grotesques, and Roman Cuirass (verso)
1560/69
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, on buff laid paper
Dimensions
22.6 × 19 cm (8 15/16 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
ink with wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
112729
Art Historical Context
This intriguing sheet of sketches from the 1560s, housed in the Art Institute of's Prints and Drawings department showcases the dynamic creativity of a 16th-century European artist. On the recto, delicate pen and brown ink lines capture a figure of Fortitude—one of the cardinal virtues—side a simple sandal and whimsical grotesques, fantastical hybrid creatures blending human, animal, and plant forms. The verso continues with more grotesques and a detailed Roman cuirass, an ancient armored breastplate, revealing the artist's fascination with classical antiquity. Created during the late Renaiss...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...