Woman Kneeling Before a Ruler
1566–67
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, with touches of thin white gouache, on tan laid paper
Dimensions
20.6 × 30 cm (8 1/8 × 11 13/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
149023
Art Historical Context
Federico Zuccaro's *Woman Kneeling Before a* (1566–67) is a captivating pen and brown ink drawing, enriched with brush and brown wash subtle touches of white gouache on laid paper. Measuring just 20.6 × 30 cm, this intimate work from the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings collection exemplifies the Italian Mannerist master's skill in preparatory sketches. Zuccaro, a leading figure of Mannerism—the stylish successor to the High Renaissance— used such drawings to plan grand frescoes and altarpieces for papal patrons in Rome. The artwork's dynamic composition features elongated figures a...
About the Artist
Federico Zuccaro
Federico Zuccari, born around 1540 or 1541 in Sant'Angelo in Vado near Urbino, emerged as one of the leading figures of late Mannerism, the younger brother of the acclaimed painter Taddeo Zuccari. The son of a modest painter, Ottaviano, he moved to Rome at age 11, where he studied under his elder brother Taddeo in his bustling workshop, assisting on major commissions and honing his skills in fresc...