Artwork Page for Studies of Hands (recto); Sketch of a Child's Head (verso)

Details / Information for Studies of Hands (recto); Sketch of a Child's Head (verso)

Studies of Hands (recto); Sketch of a Child's Head (verso)

c. 1586

Carletto Caliari

(Italian, 1570–1596)
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Culture
Italy, 16th century
Medium
charcoal (stumped in places) heightened with white chalk; black chalk with pen and brown ink
Measurements
Sheet: 27.5 x 17.8 cm (10 13/16 x 7 in.)
Credit Line
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1929.549
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

The inscription that identifies the artist in brown ink on this drawing is not a signature but rather an identification of the artist by a later hand, perhaps an owner of the drawing.

Description

The talented second-born son of Italian Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese, Carletto Caliari assisted his father in the final years of the celebrated artist’s life. Successful Venetian painting studios were run as workshops, with staffs of trained apprentices working under a master’s supervision to simultaneously execute a multitude of commissions. Drawings such as this study of expressive hand gestures were used as reference materials to ensure stylistic consistency within the shop.
Two vertically oriented drawings on blue-gray paper depict anatomical and preparatory sketches. The drawing on the left depicts four studies of hands reaching and grasping, rendered with charcoal and white chalk highlights. The drawing on the right depicts the reverse side, featuring faint sketches of a child's head, circular stamps, and lines of cursive text. White chalk and dark shading define the forms and gestures across the two views.

Studies of Hands (recto); Sketch of a Child's Head (verso)

c. 1586

Carletto Caliari

(Italian, 1570–1596)
Italy, 16th century

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