Two Nudes Seen from Below (recto); Male Figure with Upraised Arm (verso)
Medium
Red chalk (recto and verso), squared in red chalk (recto)
Dimensions
11 9/16 × 8 3/8 in. (29.4 × 21.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.197
Tags
Art Historical Context
Cristoforo Roncalli, known as Pomarancio, was a prominent Italian Mannerist artist active in late 16th-century Rome Created around 1580–82, this double-sided red chalk drawing—*Two Nudes Seen from Below* on the recto and *Male Figure with Up Arm* on the versoshowcases his skill in anatomical studies. The dramatic foreshortening of the figures, viewed from a low angle, exemplifies Mannerist exaggeration and dynamism, departing from classical Renaissance ideals toward more expressive, elongated forms. Rendered in vibrant red chalk, a favored medium for its warm tones and blendability, the recto...