Studies of a kneeling female figure, Studio of Carlo Maratti ou Maratta (1625 – 1713)

Studio of Carlo Maratti (or Maratta)
Camerano 1625 – Rome 1713

Studies of a kneeling female figure, an arm, a hand, and a head in profile

Red chalk on paper
43.4 x 26.6 cm

Provenance
Private collection, Italy
Private collection, France

Note
This impressively large sheet demonstrates the strength and refinement of the draughtsmanship associated with Carlo Maratti and his Roman studio. It features a series of juxtaposed studies — a kneeling female figure, an arm, a hand, and two profiles — executed in an empirical and progressive manner. This layered approach to composition is typical of Maratti’s working method.

The elegance of the female profile, the firmness of the contours, and the sculptural richness of the drapery all point to an artist trained within the master’s immediate circle. The sheet finds close parallels with drawings held at the National Gallery in Washington, the British Museum, the Louvre, and the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin, many of which were preparatory studies for major religious compositions such as those depicting Saint John or Saint James.

We are grateful to Professor Simonetta Prosperi Valenti Rodinò for confirming the attribution to the studio of Carlo Maratti, or one of his pupils, based on a digital image.