The Sweep of a River with Fishermen and a Town in the Background

The Florentine friar Fra Bartolommeo is one of the earliest Italian artists to have left a large group of landscape drawings, many of which were composed in preparation for his paintings. This view of Florence from the nearby Tuscan hills features small figures on the embankment of a river that leads towards the city and its prominent cathedral dome. The swift, light pen strokes suggest that the artist created the work quickly, possibly at the location itself.