Loading

Boy Drinking

Annibale Carracci1582–83

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

Together with his brother Agostino and cousin Lodovico, Annibale Carracci introduced artistic reforms in Italy based on close observation of the natural world. Annibale’s innovative and highly influential style steered a path between the smooth artificiality of Mannerism––in which style and technique took precedence over fidelity to nature––and the heightened drama of paintings by Caravaggio. In this remarkable early work, the coarse surface of the canvas, the inelegant subject matter, and the striking distortion of forms from light passing through glass all speak to his naturalistic approach.

Show lessRead more
Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
  • Title: Boy Drinking
  • Creator: Annibale Carracci (Italian, c. 1560–1609)
  • Date Created: 1582–83
  • Physical Dimensions: Framed: 79 x 67 x 5.5 cm (31 1/8 x 26 3/8 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 55.8 x 43.7 cm (21 15/16 x 17 3/16 in.)
  • Provenance: Lord Bateman, Shobdon Court, Herfordshire, England, [Sale: The Property of the Rt. Hon. Lord Bateman, Christie's London, April 11, 1896, lot 145 as Velazquez], John Hill Wood (1813-1869), Gatehead, Yorkshire, England, by inheritance to his son Sir John Wood 1st Bt., Sir John Wood 1st Bt. (1857-1951), Hengrave Hall, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, [Sale: The Contents of Hengrave Hall, Knight, Frank and Rutley, London, September 15-25, 1952, lot 1686], L. J. King, Esq., Dorchester, Dorset, by inheritance to his wife, Mrs. Mary King, Mrs. Mary King, Dorchester, Dorset, England, [Sale: Lawrence’s of Crewkerne, England], [Sale: Old master Drawings and 17th, 18th and 19th century Oil Paintings, Bonhams, London, July 11, 1985, lot 5], [Harari and [Derek] Johns, London, England, sold to Peter Jay Sharp], Peter Jay Sharp (1931-1992), New York, NY, [Sale: The Estate Of Peter Jay Sharp, Sotheby's New York, January 13, 1994, lot 70, to the Cleveland Museum of Art], The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1994.4
  • Medium: oil on canvas
  • Fun Fact: In this painting, the reflective quality of the jug enhances its naturalism: notice how it throws light onto the boy's shirt.
  • Department: European Painting and Sculpture
  • Culture: Italy, 16th century
  • Credit Line: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
  • Collection: P - Italian 16th & 17th Century
  • Accession Number: 1994.4
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites