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Studies of an Infant
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Studies of an Infant
Studies of an Infant is a set of eight red chalk drawings on red ochre-prepared paper by Leonardo da Vinci, housed in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. These are representations of all or part of the body of a very young child, considered to be preparatory studies for the Infant Jesus in the oil painting The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne in the Louvre.
Probably produced around 1502–1503, although some researchers put the date back to between 1508 and 1511, this set belongs to a group of studies that enabled the painter to create the draft for the painting at the same period. In particular, the sheet is similar to two other studies of the Infant using an identical technique known as "red on red".
The Florentine master reveals the full extent of his knowledge of anatomy, physiology and physics. In addition, some parts of the work feature a graphic technique so applied that it has contributed to casting doubt on the work's autograph character.
The drawings in Studies of an Infant are on a rectangular sheet of paper prepared in red ochre, measuring 28.5 × 19.8 cm. They are executed in red chalk, some with white highlights. The top right-hand corner of the sheet is inscribed "Ambroso" in inverted script.
The document features eight croquis, each representing the whole or part of a baby's body, with the common visible parts adopting identical postures: at the top, two babies with the most finished pencil work; between them, a barely visible sketch; below left, one above the other, two sketches of arms; a head in the center of the sheet; a bust to its right; and, below the latter, a foot.
When the drawings for the Studies of an Infant were created in 1502–1503, Leonardo da Vinci was approaching his fiftieth birthday. He was famous enough for powerful Italian and other European clients to compete for his services as engineer and artist: Isabella d'Este, Cesare Borgia and King Louis XII of France.
Since 1499, he has been working on the creation of the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne oil painting, although it remains unclear who exactly commissioned it. A self-confessed detachment from the brush, Leonardo produced few works during this period: The Last Supper (completed in 1498) and The Madonna of the Yarnwinder (dated from 1501); however, he considered himself more of an engineer. After successively discarding two earlier works: Burlington House drawing (between 1499 and early 1501) and the so-called "Fra Pietro" drawing (between 1500 and April 1501); he produced a final one in 1502–1503, which he used to create The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne painting. The Studies of an Infant sheet is a preparatory study for this third draft.
Until the early 1990s, attribution to Leonardo da Vinci was the subject of much debate. In 1938, art historian Bernard Berenson admitted his great hesitation. As late as 1980, Luisa Cogliati Arano saw it as the work of Cesare da Sesto or Ambrogio de Predis. Since then, the attribution to the Florentine painter has been unanimous among the scientific community, including Daniel Arasse, Carlo Pedretti, Carmen C. Bambach, Martin Kemp, Frank Zöllner, Johannes Nathan and Vincent Delieuvin. For this, the researchers relied on the fine hatching typical of a left hand, particularly visible on the whole baby in the upper right-hand corner. Moreover, stylistically, the work reveals "vibrations of [...] a very free touch", offering an energetic character typical of the first sketches that a researching artist can show. This is the exact opposite of what can be seen in copies of the work, which show "a diligent character".
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Studies of an Infant
Studies of an Infant is a set of eight red chalk drawings on red ochre-prepared paper by Leonardo da Vinci, housed in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. These are representations of all or part of the body of a very young child, considered to be preparatory studies for the Infant Jesus in the oil painting The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne in the Louvre.
Probably produced around 1502–1503, although some researchers put the date back to between 1508 and 1511, this set belongs to a group of studies that enabled the painter to create the draft for the painting at the same period. In particular, the sheet is similar to two other studies of the Infant using an identical technique known as "red on red".
The Florentine master reveals the full extent of his knowledge of anatomy, physiology and physics. In addition, some parts of the work feature a graphic technique so applied that it has contributed to casting doubt on the work's autograph character.
The drawings in Studies of an Infant are on a rectangular sheet of paper prepared in red ochre, measuring 28.5 × 19.8 cm. They are executed in red chalk, some with white highlights. The top right-hand corner of the sheet is inscribed "Ambroso" in inverted script.
The document features eight croquis, each representing the whole or part of a baby's body, with the common visible parts adopting identical postures: at the top, two babies with the most finished pencil work; between them, a barely visible sketch; below left, one above the other, two sketches of arms; a head in the center of the sheet; a bust to its right; and, below the latter, a foot.
When the drawings for the Studies of an Infant were created in 1502–1503, Leonardo da Vinci was approaching his fiftieth birthday. He was famous enough for powerful Italian and other European clients to compete for his services as engineer and artist: Isabella d'Este, Cesare Borgia and King Louis XII of France.
Since 1499, he has been working on the creation of the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne oil painting, although it remains unclear who exactly commissioned it. A self-confessed detachment from the brush, Leonardo produced few works during this period: The Last Supper (completed in 1498) and The Madonna of the Yarnwinder (dated from 1501); however, he considered himself more of an engineer. After successively discarding two earlier works: Burlington House drawing (between 1499 and early 1501) and the so-called "Fra Pietro" drawing (between 1500 and April 1501); he produced a final one in 1502–1503, which he used to create The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne painting. The Studies of an Infant sheet is a preparatory study for this third draft.
Until the early 1990s, attribution to Leonardo da Vinci was the subject of much debate. In 1938, art historian Bernard Berenson admitted his great hesitation. As late as 1980, Luisa Cogliati Arano saw it as the work of Cesare da Sesto or Ambrogio de Predis. Since then, the attribution to the Florentine painter has been unanimous among the scientific community, including Daniel Arasse, Carlo Pedretti, Carmen C. Bambach, Martin Kemp, Frank Zöllner, Johannes Nathan and Vincent Delieuvin. For this, the researchers relied on the fine hatching typical of a left hand, particularly visible on the whole baby in the upper right-hand corner. Moreover, stylistically, the work reveals "vibrations of [...] a very free touch", offering an energetic character typical of the first sketches that a researching artist can show. This is the exact opposite of what can be seen in copies of the work, which show "a diligent character".
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