Study for Staffage Figures – A Man and Child
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Catalogue Number:
37
Artist:
18th Century Venetian Copyist
Title:
Study for Staffage Figures – A Man and Child
Work Type:
Drawing
Date:
18th Century
Culture:
Italian
Medium:
Gray ink and sanguine washes on tan prepared laid paper
Dimensions:
3 3/8 in. h X 2 3/8 in. w
Inscriptions & Annotations:
Mounted with No. 38
Verso:
Annotated 5 (graphite)
Watermarks:
None
Condition:
Generally clean, intact, and stable
Credit Line:
Cornell College, Gift of Robert Sonnenschein II
Accession Year:
1951
Object Number:
1951.37
Commentary:
Staffage figures are usually minor figures included in a landscape painting to provide a human context to the scene. They have been attributed to this context because of their small size and general orientation away from the viewer, as if they are continuing on a journey. These drawings were formerly attributed to Marco Benefial, but upon further research, that attribution doesn’t seem as accurate.