The Visitation

c. 1520

Italian (Florentine)

Associated Names
The image depicts a sketch of four full-bodied figures. The central figure is embracing another figure, both figures are wearing long flowing garments with head coverings. The figures have indistinct facial features due to the sketch's style but appear to convey interaction through their gestures. To the left, there is an older man with curly hair and a beard, draped in loose robes, holding a staff. On the right, another woman stands with her hands clasped, her hair loosely tied back, wearing a similarly styled robe. The background suggests a cityscape or architectural elements faintly sketched. The artwork has a monochromatic, subdued color palette, primarily using shades of brown with white highlights.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    black chalk, heightened with white, on prepared paper washed purple

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 17.5 x 22.8 cm (6 7/8 x 9 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2011.38.1


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

William H. Schab Gallery, New York, by 1969. Ian Woodner, New York; his posthumous sale, Christie's, London, 2 July 1991, lot 71 (as Tuscan School, early 16th century). Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, London; purchased in 2011 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1973

  • Woodner Collection II: Old Master Drawings from the XV to the XVIII Century, William H. Schab Gallery, New York, 1973, no. 38, as School of Filippo Lippi.

Bibliography

2007

  • Stephen Ongpin Fine Art. Old Master, 19th Century and Modern Drawings: A Selection from Stock. London, 2007: 6, no. 1.

Inscriptions

by later hand, upper right corner in black ink: 2; by later hand, verso upper center in graphite: 6 [obscured by hinge]; by later hand, verso lower center in blue ink: 3

Wikidata ID

Q64578938

You may be interested in

Loading Results