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The drawing depicts the upper half of a person's body facing slightly upward and to the right. The individual has arms extended outward with open hands. The facial features are outlined, with the head tilted upward, eyes looking at the sky, and lips slightly parted. The hair is short and closely cropped. The clothing is loose and flowing, resembling a robe or cloak. No jewelry or objects are visible in the person's hands. The background is a simple blue-gray color, contrasting with the reddish-brown chalk sketch of the figure.
Read the visual description

The drawing depicts the upper half of a person's body facing slightly upward and to the right. The individual has arms extended outward with open hands. The facial features are outlined, with the head tilted upward, eyes looking at the sky, and lips slightly parted. The hair is short and closely cropped. The clothing is loose and flowing, resembling a robe or cloak. No jewelry or objects are visible in the person's hands. The background is a simple blue-gray color, contrasting with the reddish-brown chalk sketch of the figure.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Boy Gazing Upward in Adoration

Bartolomeo Cesi

Date
c. 1594
Medium
red chalk heightened with white chalk on blue laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 14.8 x 13.6 cm (5 13/16 x 5 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1998.75.1
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund and The William Stamps Farish Fund
Time span
1551 to 1600
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • religious
  • Bolognese
  • boy
  • figure
Provenance

Private collection, Paris, in 1997; (sale, Sotheby's, London, 8 July 1998, no. 21); purchased by P. & D. Colnaghi's, London for NGA, purchase in 1998.

NGA object ID 106927. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.