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| attributed to Filippino Lippi Virgin and Child attended by Angels before 1504 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"This bold, lively sketch of a Madonna and Child, attended by Angels, was probably preparatory for a painted panel of the same subject. Lippi's mastery at defining shapes and volumes by controlling the intricate and dense network of lines in pen and ink is clearly evident. Given its similarity to other late drawings by the artist done with a similar technique . . . the present sheet can be dated to shortly before Filippino died in 1504."
– from curator's notes at the Metropolitan Museum
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| attributed to Bernardo Strozzi Discovery of the True Cross before 1644 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"This drawing can be attributed with confidence to Bernardo Strozzi, who was, along with Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609-1664) the greatest Genoese Baroque painter. . . . Pen and ink sketches by Strozzi are relatively rare. In this drawing, the rapid and bold summing up of forms as spheres, the mannered, downward-tilt of the heads of many figures, and the use of broad areas with long, parallel slightly curved hatching, can be compared precisely to Strozzi's early Children and Angels Dancing Around the Cross Held by the Christ Child (Morgan Library). . . . The veneration of the "Holy Cross" (alluded to by both this drawing and the early Morgan sheet) had particular meaning for the Franciscan order. In 1597, Bernardo Strozzi took vows as a Capuchin, the most ascetic branch of that order, but renounced this commitment in 1608/09. Although the early biography of Strozzi by Raffaele Soprani and Carlo Giuseppe Ratti focuses on the religious scandal in the artist's life, offering little concrete information on any of his artistic projects, it does mention that the young novice first expressed his artistic inclination by portraying Franciscan saints. This spirited pen and ink sketch portrays the scene of St. Helena, in the foreground to the right, and her Roman followers unearthing the "Holy Cross." In the center, four male figures, in a dynamically foreshortened spiral arrangement, pull the enormous cross from the ground."
– from curator's notes at the Metropolitan Museum
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| Francesco Allegrini Battle Scene before 1663 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| attributed to Francesco Allegrini Cavalry Charge before 1663 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| attributed to Francesco Allegrini Figures before 1663 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| attributed to Francesco Allegrini Study of an Actor (wearing mask) before 1663 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Nicolas Poussin Bacchus and Erigone ca. 1630-40 drawing Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge |
In book six of the Metamorphoses, Ovid elaborates the story of Minerva's weaving contest with Arachne, describing in great detail the two competing tapestries created by goddess and maiden. Arachne's tapestry represents numerous scenes of divine metamorphosis (always with erotic intent, and referred to by Ovid as "the gods' misdemeanors"). These include a rare mention of young Erigone, desired by the god Bacchus and successfully seduced when he tempted her palate by transforming himself into a bunch of grapes. Poussin does not illustrate the fable itself, using it instead as a pretext for another of his graceful Arcadian fantasy-images.
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| Nicolas Poussin Bacchus and Erigone ca. 1630-40 oil on canvas Nationalmuseum Stockholm |
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| John Flaxman Two struggling figures ca. 1790-95 drawing (probably for Paradise Lost) British Museum |
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| John Flaxman Six figures standing together before 1826 drawing British Museum |
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| Heneage Finch Italian Farmhouse before 1812 drawing Tate Gallery |
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| Heneage Finch View of Tenby (stone houses with tile roofs) before 1812 drawing British Museum |
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| Heneage Finch Italian Landscape before 1812 drawing Tate Gallery |
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| Heneage Finch View of Tenby (shed with bathing machines) before 1812 drawing British Museum |
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| Heneage Finch House in the Dutch style, by a church spire before 1812 drawing Tate Gallery |