Figure Studies with Flying Putti and a Kneeling Woman
Floating figures above, and a seated group with a child and a small animal below
Pen and ink with touches of red chalk fills the sheet with two zones of rapid figure sketches. Across the top, several draped and nude figures float and dart through the air, among them small putti in vigorous, twisting poses. Below, a group gathers around a kneeling young woman with a child, with a bearded head at the left and a small animal lying at the lower right. The studies appear to explore poses for a devotional or narrative composition; a figure number is jotted at the foot of the sheet.
On this page
Flying and floating figures
The upper part of the sheet is crowded with figures suspended in mid-air, their drapery streaming as they twist and reach. Small putti tumble among them, drawn with quick, looping pen strokes. The emphasis is on airborne movement and dramatic foreshortening.
Kneeling woman with a child
In the lower half a young woman kneels in profile, her body inclined toward a small child beside her. A bearded head is sketched at the left and further partial figures crowd the group. The arrangement reads as a study for a seated figural group.
Small reclining animal
At the lower right a small quadruped, apparently a dog, is sketched lying down. It is rendered with a few swift contour lines. The animal is subordinate to the surrounding figure studies.