Studies of Figures (verso)

c. 1586

Ambrogio Figino

Associated Names
Ambrogio Figino
Artist, Italian, 1548 - 1608
This is a drawing of human-like figures in various dynamic poses. The figures are engaged in activities such as walking, holding objects, reclining, and other poses. The style is a study of the human form, with sketch-like brush strokes and varying intensities, giving a sense of movement. The drawing has a rough texture with visible shading practices, possibly indicating exploration of anatomy and pose. The background is plain, emphasizing the sketches, which are drawn in brownish ink or pigment, contributing to an aged aesthetic.

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Artwork overview

Associated Artworks

This is a drawing of various studies and sketches on a single sheet of paper. The page is filled with a collection of small sketches, depicting a variety of subjects including humans, animals, and objects. The figures include a muscular torso in the foreground, alongside several sketched busts with expressive faces. To the right, there are two small round vases with shaded detail. Also present are sketches of a horse's head and dynamic, swift strokes suggesting movement, such as a galloping horse and rider at the bottom of the page and playful cherubic figures. The use of brown ink wash over pencil outlines gives the drawing a warm tonal quality. The composition suggests it may be a preliminary or practice sheet used by the artist to explore different shapes and forms, with some sketches appearing more detailed and finished than others.

Studies of Glass Jars and Figures (recto)

Ambrogio Figino
1581

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale, Gerd Rosen, Berlin, 1 December 1959, no. 298). Herbert List, Munich;Ursula and Adolf Ratjen, Vaduz, for Wolfgang Ratjen; Wolfgang Ratjen, Munich; purchased 2007 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Zeichnungen alter Meister aus deutschem Privatbesitz, Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Kunsthalle, Bremen; Graphische Sammlung, Stuttgart. Stuttgart, 1965, no. 19, pl. 12.

1977

  • Stiftung Ratjen. Italienische Zeichnungen des 16. - 18. Jahrhunderts, Graphische Sammlung, Munich; Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin; Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Kunstmuseum, Dusseldorf; Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart. Munich, 1977, no. 14.

1995

  • Fünfzig italienische Zeichnungen des 16. - 18. Jahrhunderts aus der Stiftung Ratjen, Vaduz, Liechtensteinischen Staatlichen Kunstsammlung, Vaduz, 1995, no. 11.

1996

  • Italian Drawings from the Ratjen Foundation, Vaduz. The Frick Collection, New York. Bern, 1996, no. 11.

2004

  • Pittori della realtà: Le Ragioni di una Rivoluzione da Foppa e Leonardo a Caravaggio e Ceruti. Museo civico Ala Ponzone, Cremona, and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004, 261 (entry by Linda Wolk-Simon).

2011

  • Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1525-1835, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2011, no. 11.

Inscriptions

Verso, at lower left in graphite: 298

Wikidata ID

Q64534717

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