Ludovico Carracci

Unidentified collector's mark, previously thought to be that of Pierre Crozat (L.474) 

Hinged along the upper edge to a modern mount. The sheet has previously been laid down on an old backing which has been partially removed. The upper left corner has been made up, as has a small portion of the upper right corner and lower right corner. There is an old light brown water stain to the upper left corner and evidence of some light abrasions throughout. The chalk remains reasonably strong though the blue paper has discoloured somewhat. Sold in a modern giltwood frame.
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This bold yet sensitively rendered black chalk figure study is stylistically reminiscent of various early chalk drawings by Ludovico.  The subtle shading and rendering of form clearly shows that the artist was studying his figure from life.  The Carracci Academy's foundations were based upon looking at the natural world, and its mantra was to study the human form closely from life, an approach that this beautiful chalk drawing definitively embodies.

The sheet also highlights the importance of chalk drawings in general in Italian artistic practice.  The medium became increasingly popular in Italy in the late 15^th Century, as it was much more malleable than pen and ink or metalpoint.  An artist drawing in chalk could create a much broader range of strokes, and could also erase mistakes.  Furthermore, chalk can be smudged, providing the artist with the means to create subtle differences in tonality and to make their studies more atmospheric.  Ludovico’s early chalk drawings were usually preparatory for figures in his paintings and prints, but it has not been possible to link this study directly with one of his compositions.

We are most grateful to Babette Bohn who, from an image, has kindly confirmed the attribution to Ludovico Carracci.  Dr. Bohn remarks that the handling of the chalk is characteristic of the artist's work of around 1588-92, and compares the technique employed here to that of three figure studies, one in the Cini Foundation, Venice, one at the British Museum, and one on the recto of a sheet formerly with Colnaghi.¹

^1.  Venice, Fondazione Cini, inv. no. 36.119; London, British Museum, inv. no. 1943-10-9-36; B. Bohn, Ludovico Carracci and The Art of Drawing, Turnhout 2004, nos. 41 (Cini Foundation), 43 (British Museum) and 45 (formerly with Colnaghi)