Artwork
Figure Studies [verso]
![Figure Studies [verso], by Perino del Vaga, ink, 1535](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/perino-del-vaga--figure-studies-verso--d5d88c86be9b1288-w1024.webp)
Figure Studies [verso] is an ink drawing by the Renaissance artist Perino del Vaga. It dates from 1535 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1535, this drawing by the Italian artist Perino del Vaga combines pen and brown ink on laid paper with a central vertical red‑chalk line. The left half contains a series of quick studies of the human figure in varied poses, while the right half is occupied by handwritten notes in an unidentified script.
Subject & Meaning
The ink sketches serve as anatomical and compositional exercises, capturing the body in both dynamic movement and stillness. By rendering multiple postures on a single sheet, the artist explores the range of human gesture, a common concern for Renaissance draftsmen seeking to master the representation of flesh and form.
Technique & Style
Del Vaga employs fine pen work and cross‑hatching to suggest volume and surface texture, while the brown ink provides a warm tonal quality. The red chalk line bisects the sheet, likely functioning as a compositional guide or a demarcation between study and annotation, reflecting the methodical approach typical of Mannerist drawing practice.
History & Provenance
The drawing originates from the late Renaissance period in Italy, a time when Perino del Vaga was active as a court painter and prolific draughtsman. Its current whereabouts are not specified, but the piece exemplifies the artist’s extensive sketchbook output, which was often used for workshop preparation and teaching.
Context
During the early sixteenth century, Italian workshops emphasized rigorous figure study as a foundation for larger frescoes and altarpieces. Del Vaga, a pupil of Raphael, inherited this tradition, and his studies reveal the transitional aesthetic between High Renaissance balance and the more elongated, expressive forms of Mannerism.
Artist & collection
Artist
Piero Bonaccorsi (1501 – October 19, 1547), known as Perino (or Perin) del Vaga, was an Italian painter and draughtsman of the Late Renaissance/Mannerism.
