Baldassarre Franceschini, known as Il Voterrano
(Volterra, 1611 – Florence, 1689)
Study of hands holding a vase (or a dish)
Red chalk on paper.
224 mm x 211 mm – 8 13/16 x 8 5/16 in.
Early inscription in pen and brown ink at the bottom center: “Mano di Batt: Franceschini d: il Volterrano.”
Baldassarre Franceschini, known as Il Volterrano, was one of the leading painters and draftsmen of the 17th-century Florentine Baroque. Trained under Matteo Rosselli and Giovanni da San Giovanni, he enjoyed the patronage of the Medici family and the major patrons of Tuscany, for whom he created important fresco cycles (notably at the Villa Niccolini in Petraia, the Palazzo Pitti, and the SS. Annunziata). An exceptional draftsman, Volterrano is particularly famous for his numerous preparatory studies in red chalk, characterized by supple modeling, great plastic virtuosity, and a remarkable mastery of anatomical rendering and light.
This sheet perfectly illustrates the artist’s talent for anatomical studies from life, combining the precision of the red chalk line with delicate shading to convey the volume of the flesh, the tension in the fingers, and the folds of the sleeves.
It is a meticulous detailed study showing hands firmly grasping an oval container (vase, dish, or basin) viewed in foreshortening. In it, the artist studies the position of the fingers clasping the rim of the object, as well as the movement of the wrists and the draped forearms, intended to refine the figure of a servant, an assistant, or a figure in a large religious or mythological composition.
The sheet bears an old collector’s inscription in ink at the bottom center attributing the work to the artist: “Mano di Batt: Franceschini d: il Volterrano.”
Anatomical studies and studies of drapery details in red chalk by Baldassarre Franceschini are preserved in the most prestigious collections of Florentine drawings, notably at the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe of the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, the British Museum in London, and the Cabinet des Dessins at the Louvre Museum.
Condition report: Very good condition.
