A Man Seen from Behind [recto]

c. 1555

Taddeo Zuccaro

Associated Names
Taddeo Zuccaro

Artist, Roman, 1529 - 1566

The image is a sketch showing the full body of a person from behind. The person appears to be in a slightly twisting position, with their upper body turned to the right and their lower body facing forward. Their head is turned to the left, with hair that seems to be wrapped or styled upward. The person appears to be draped in cloth that wraps around their torso and lower body, which is depicted with smooth, flowing lines suggesting folds and depth. There are no visible pieces of jewelry or objects being held. The background of the image is simple and plain, with no additional elements. The drawing is rendered on a textured paper.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    red chalk heightened with white on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall (approximate): 34.4 x 18.3 cm (13 9/16 x 7 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1972.4.2.a

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Gere 1969/1995, no. 249, State A

Associated Artworks

The image shows a full-length figure of a nude person standing with their back to the viewer, captured from an upward angle looking towards the right side of their body. The person's head is turned slightly to the left, giving a partial profile view of their facial features, which are minimally detailed, and they have a bald head. The individual is depicted in a classical pose, with one arm placed across the midsection and the other arm draped along the side. There are no clothing or objects depicted on or around the person, with the focus on the contours and muscles of the figure. The background is a plain, textured surface without any additional objects or scenery, and the drawing style is characterized by flowing lines and a monochromatic color palette.

A Man Seen from Behind [verso]

Taddeo Zuccaro

1555

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Charles Gasc, 1860 (Lugt 1068); A.P.E. Gasc (Lugt 1131); (Yvonne Tan Bunzl, London, 1971); NGA purchase in 1972.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1971

  • Yvonne Tan Bunzl, Old Master Drawings, London, 1971, no. 55.

1974

  • NGA Recent Acquisitions 1974, no. 17.

1978

  • Master Drawings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art and Promised Gifts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978, p. 46.

1988

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

1989

  • Renaissance into Baroque, Italian Master Drawings by the Zuccari, 1550-1600, Milwaukee Art Museum and National Academy of Design, New York, 1989-1990, no. 11.

2007

  • Taddeo and Federico Zuccaro: Artist-Brothers in Renaissance Rome, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2007, no. 45.

2023

  • Looking Up: Studies for Ceilings, 1550-1800, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2023.

Bibliography

1971

  • Nicolson, Benedict. "Current and Forthcoming Exhibitions," The Burlington Magazine, 113, no. 824 (November 1971): 683-84, fig. 56.

1995

  • Gere, John A. Taddeo Zuccaro: His Development Studied in His Drawings. London: Faber and Faber, 1969.Gere, John A. "Taddeo Zuccaro: Addenda and Corrigenda," Master Drawings, 33, no. 3 (Autumn 1995): 223-323.

  • Gere, John A. "Taddeo Zuccaro: Addenda and Corrigenda," Master Drawings, 33, no. 3 (Autumn 1995): 300-301, no. 249-A.

1996

  • Michelangelo and His Influence, Drawings from Windsor Castle. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1996: 28, fig. 25.

1997

  • Romani, Vittoria. Primaticcio, Tibaldi e la questione delle "Cose del Cielo". Cittadella, 1997: 72 (note 27), 124.

1998

  • Acidini Luchinat, Cristina. Taddeo e Federico Zuccari, fratelli pittori del Cinquecento. (Milan, 1998), 1: 47, fig. 6.

Wikidata ID

Q64633027

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