Sheet of Studies with a Woman's Upturned Head, Two Poses of a Nude Boy, and his Legs
About this artwork
This supremely fluent study was drawn by Pompeo Batoni for two major commissions in Rome. The woman’s head relates to a ceiling painting in the Palazzo Colonna, while the nude studies were used in an altarpiece for the Church of Saints Cosma and Damiano in Milan. Batoni’s extraordinary skill led artists to study his works with care. Allan Ramsay, in particular, copied his paintings and collected a number of his drawings, including this example. He later sent his own son, John, for lessons with Batoni when they were in Rome in the 1780s.
Updated before 2020
-
artist:Pompeo Batoni (1708 - 1787) Italian
-
title:Sheet of Studies with a Woman's Upturned Head, Two Poses of a Nude Boy, and his Legs
-
date created:Unknown
-
materials:Red chalk, heightened with white on buff prepared paper
-
measurements:30.70 x 21.40 cm
-
object type:
-
credit line:Lady Murray of Henderland Gift 1860 as a memorial of her husband, Lord Murray of Henderland
-
accession number:D 2148
-
gallery:
Pompeo Batoni
Pompeo Batoni
Batoni, a native of Lucca, was the son of a goldsmith. He began in his father's workshop but left for Rome in 1727 where he soon acquired a reputation for making fine drawings after the antique, which were often bought by British visitors. During his long career, Batoni executed altarpieces for...
