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Study of the Virgin (recto); Study of the Virgin and of Hands (verso) (Verso: Studies, Virgin & Hands)

Vittore Carpaccio

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

In this simple study of the Virgin Mary kneeling in prayer, Vittore Carpaccio concentrated on the simple lines of her headdress and the crisp folds of her robe. With a brush and a painterly approach, he applied a rich brown wash to her form, with dark lines outlining the body and parallel hatching to give texture. Carpaccio then added strokes of white bodycolor to create brilliant effects of light hitting the surface of the fabric. He produced the drawing as a preparatory study for a painting.

The verso contains a variety of sketches that Carpaccio probably produced ten to fifteen years later. In the main image, the Virgin gazes down in prayer, with her disembodied clasped hands placed directly below her. Another study of a hand holding a quill pen projects from the lower left edge.

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  • Title: Study of the Virgin (recto); Study of the Virgin and of Hands (verso) (Verso: Studies, Virgin & Hands)
  • Creator: Vittore Carpaccio
  • Date Created: about 1505
  • Location Created: Italy
  • Physical Dimensions: 25.1 × 18.7 cm (9 7/8 × 7 3/8 in.)
  • Type: Drawing
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Brush with brown wash, black chalk, heightened with white gouache, on faded blue-gray paper
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 87.GG.8
  • Culture: Italian
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
  • Creator Display Name: Vittore Carpaccio (Italian, about 1460 - 1526)
  • Classification: Drawings (Visual Works)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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