Young Warrior, Seen from Behind, Lifting a Curtain
1550/55
Francesco Salviati Italian, 1510–1563
Italy
Throughout his career, Salviati produced drawings for various purposes and in a variety of media that display artifice and stylistic f lair. This sheet is notable for its deftly applied brown wash, including thick strokes, quick accents, and sinuous contours. The result is eloquently pictorial, which suggests that Salviati may have intended it as an independent work of art.
Salviati’s bravura graphic performance is matched by his deft interpretation of the subject, especially in the balletic pose of the young soldier balanced on one foot as he gingerly lifts the curtain.
Pen and brown ink, and brush and brown wash, heightened with white gouache, over black chalk, on cream laid paper