Man with a Stick

Metalpoint, a drawing method that uses a metal alloy tip on a prepared surface, yields delicate, precise lines that resist erasure. Lippi enhanced the drawing with white pigment to accentuate volume and light, creating subtle contrast against the gray ground.

Attributed to Filippino Lippi, an Italian artist active in Florence, Rome, Milan and Bologna during the turn from the Early to High Renaissance, the piece reflects his practice across various media, including oil, tempera and fresco. Its exact ownership trail prior to modern collection remains undocumented.

The work emerges from a period when artists explored drawing as an independent art form, using metalpoint for preparatory studies and finished pieces alike. Lippi’s engagement with secular subjects alongside his well‑known religious commissions illustrates the broader diversification of Renaissance art.