Two Friars on a Hillside [recto]

Fra Bartolommeo

Associated Names
Fra Bartolommeo

Artist, Florentine, 1472 - 1517

The image displays an overhead view of a natural scene with a gentle slope. The horizon is unclear, blending with the top of the slope where trees are located. The style is defined by flowing pen strokes detailing bare trees and ground textures. The color scheme consists of earthy tones on aged paper. Two small human figures appear close by, interacting, with trees ascending the slope nearby. In the distance, a few architectural structures, potentially a small building, are visible amidst sparse foliage and curved landscape lines.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    Overall: 28.7 x 21.7 cm (11 5/16 x 8 9/16 in.)
    support: 41.1 x 27.9 cm (16 3/16 x 11 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1959.16.3.a

Associated Artworks

The image shows a detailed drawing of a tree viewed straight-on, with no visible horizon. The tree trunk is depicted with textured lines, and the branches extend outwards with intricate lines, creating a sparse canopy. The style features precise linework that follows the forms of the tree. The color palette is minimal, with the paper's neutral tone as the background and dark lines for the tree. A stark contrast is created between the lines and the paper, emphasizing the tree's form.

Bare Tree [verso]

Fra Bartolommeo

1472

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Bequeathed by the artist to Fra Paolino da Pistoia; given by him to his pupil Sister Plautilla Nelli (1523-1588), Convent of Saint Catherine, Piazza San Marco; purchased from the Convent in 1725 by Francesco Maria Nicolo Gabburri (1675-1742); possibly William Kent; purchased in southern Ireland in 1925 by a private collector; (sale, London, Sotheby's, 20 November 1957, no. 22, and mentioned p. V); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Alverthorpe, PA; gift to NGA, 1959.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1960

  • Old Master Drawings, Newark Museum, Newark, NJ, 1960, no. 10, repro.

1961

  • Masterpieces: A Memorial Exhibition for Adele R. Levy, Wildenstein & Co., New York, 1961, no. 61, repro.

1978

  • Master Drawings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art and Promised Gifts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978, p. 34-35.

1988

  • Italian Renaissance Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1988, no cat.

1992

  • Fra Bartolommeo: Master Draughtsman of the high Renaissance, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, 1992 (not in catalogue).

Bibliography

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 662, no. 1044 (recto).

Watermarks

Heart?

Wikidata ID

Q64562124

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