Two Studies of Carthusians (recto); Three Sketches of Heads of Carthusians (verso)

Art Historical Context

In the late 16th century,entine artist Bernardino Pocc captured the austere grace of Carthusian monks in this double-sided drawing, dated 1591/92. On the recto, two full-length studies depict the monks in their flowing white habits, while the verso features three expressive head sketches. Created with black chalk on delicate ivory laid paper, the sheet measures just 17.3 × 12.8 cm, Poccetti's masterful economy in a portable sketchbook format. Poccetti, a Mannerist painter known for grand fresco cycles in Tuscan churches, often produced such preparatory drawings to refine figures for larger religious commissions. Black chalk allowed for subtle tonal modeling and fluid lines, emphasizing the monks' contemplative poses and serene faces—hallmarks of late Renaissance naturalism amid the Counter-Reformation's focus on spiritual devotion. The Carthusians, renowned for their hermit-like rigor, embody the era's ideal of pious withdrawal. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, this classified chalk work offers a rare glimpse into an artist's process, blending technical virtuosity with cultural reverence for monastic life. Visitors can appreciate how these quick studies breathe life into the sacred narratives Poccetti immortalized on church walls.

About the Artist

Bernardino Poccetti · 1548–1612

Italian late Renaissance fresco painter, Florence. Comment on works: religious; in Pilkington he is credited with flower paintings