c. 1747
(Italian, 1702–1785)
Black chalk (costume) and red chalk (sleeve and hand)
Support: Blue laid paper, laid down on cream(2) board
Sheet: 24.7 x 18.4 cm (9 3/4 x 7 1/4 in.); Secondary Support: 35 x 27.4 cm (13 3/4 x 10 13/16 in.)
Gift of the Artemis Group/David Carritt, Ltd. 1996.210
Three-piece suits such as the one depicted here were worn all over Europe in the 1700s, with the most expensive made from silk or velvet.
The drawings of the prolific draftsman Pietro Longhi concentrate on the details of costume and gesture to convey the character and social class of his subjects. Here, the artist skillfully exploits black chalk to render the cut of a man’s frock coat and red chalk to simulate the flesh tones of his hand gripping a walking stick.
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