Sheet of figure and horse studies for a composition
Nudes in animated poses, horses' heads, and a cloaked elder in pen and ink
A crowded pen-and-ink sheet gathers many studies of nude and draped figures in animated poses together with horses. At the left two horses' heads and a rearing horse rise beside a cloaked, bearded elder, while the center is filled with a knot of nudes who kneel, bend and gesture, and at the right a horse is led past standing figures and a group holding small children. The sheet reads as preparatory work toward a multi-figure narrative composition. Faint marks and small collector's initials are also present but are not transcribed here.
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Central knot of nude figures in dramatic poses
A dense cluster of nude men occupies the middle of the sheet, some kneeling, some bending sharply forward, others raising their arms and gesturing. Their exaggerated, emotional attitudes suggest figures caught up in a narrative scene.
Horses' heads and a rearing horse
Two horses' heads and the forequarters of a rearing horse are drawn at the left, with a further horse led among figures at the right. The animals are studied in movement alongside the human figures.
Cloaked bearded elder at the far left
At the far left an aged, bearded man stands wrapped in a heavy mantle with his arms folded, set slightly apart from the rest of the crowd. He forms a quiet counterpoint to the agitated nudes beside him.