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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Starting June 3
Exhibitions & Events
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple [recto]

c. 1700

Antonio Zanchi

Associated Names

Antonio Zanchi

Artist, Italian, 1631 - 1722

This is a drawing of a group of abstract figures in a grand setting. The artwork shows various figures positioned around a central figure on a raised platform or steps, leading the eye upwards towards a cluster of swirling clouds and abstract figures. The figures are sketched with fluid lines and the background suggests an architectural setting with arches and pillars. Ink wash is used to add depth and texture to the figures and the setting, giving the drawing a sense of movement and drama.

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Artwork overview

Medium

pen and brown ink and brown wash over black chalk, squared in black chalk, on laid paper
Credit Line

Gift of William B. O'Neal, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

overall: 28.1 × 18.7 cm (11 1/16 × 7 3/8 in.)
Accession Number

1991.150.56.a

This is a drawing of a group of figures in a classical setting. The drawing features several sketchily-rendered figures, appearing to be engaged in conversation or interactions in an architectural setting that includes columns and possibly arches. The lines are loose and the forms are not fully detailed, indicating that this might be a preliminary sketch or study rather than a finished work. The composition is dynamic, with figures strategically placed across the layered backdrop that suggests depth and perspective. The use of brown ink on the paper gives it a historical feel. — Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple [verso]

Antonio Zanchi

1620

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Spencer Drummond Limited, Hamilton, Bermuda; William B. O'Neal [1907-1994], Charlottesville, VA, February 1979; gift to NGA, 1991.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1992

Dürer to Diebenkorn: Recent Acquisitions of Art of Paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1992, no. 14.

1993

Drawings from the O'Neal Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 1993, no. 6.

1996

Drawings from the O'Neal Collection, Georgia Museum of Art, The University of Georgia, Athens, 4 May-16 June, 1996 (recto only).

2014

The Poetry of Light - La poesia della luce: Venetian Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, Museo Correr, Venice, Venice, 2014 - 2015, no. 44.

Bibliography

1992

Dürer to Diebenkorn: Recent Acquisitions of Art of Paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 18, 23-24.

1993

Drawings from the O'Neal Collection. Exh. cat. Washington, 1993: 25-26.

Wikidata ID

Q64536277

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