- Museum number
- 1895,0915.531
- Description
-
The Presentation of Christ: the Virgin handing the Christ Child to Simeon; the Virgin wearing drapery standing facing a bearded man to right
Black chalk on grey paper
- Production date
- 1487-1517
- Dimensions
-
Height: 271 millimetres
-
Width: 154 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- A study for an early panel (c.1497) in the Uffizi, Florence. Other studies for the same painting are in Rotterdam, Lille and the Uffizi.
Lit.: J.C. Robinson, 'Descriptive Catalogue of Drawings by the Old Masters, forming the Collection of John Malcolm of Poltalloch, Esq.', London, 1876, no. 94; N. Turner, in exhib. cat., BM, 'Florentine drawings', 1986, no. 34 (with previous literature); C. Fischer, in exhib. cat., Rotterdam, Boymans van Beuningen, 'Fra Bartolommeo: Master Draughtsman of the High Renaissance', 1990, under no. 2, fig. 5
Turner, Florentine Drawings of the Sixteenth Century, London, 1986
According to Robinson, the drawing was previously inscribed on the back, by Wellesley: "Study for The Presentation in the Temple, at Vienna (?), another at Florence- a copy- engraved by Rahl". Dr Wellesley's opinion that the drawing is connected with the Vienna 'Presentation' (Gabelentz, i, pl. 22) was followed by Berenson. Gabelentz was the first to point out that it is in fact a study for the small grisaille in the Uffizi (Gabelentz, i, pl. 2), a very early work which he dates before 1500. According to Gabelentz, other studies for this composition are at Rotterdam (his nos 480, 490 and 491), Lille (his no. 256) and the Uffizi (his no. 159), all of which are in black chalk.
Literature: JCR 94; BB (1903) 420; Gabelentz, ii, p. 127, no. 290; BB (1938) 420.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
1986, BM, Florentine Drawings 16thC, no. 34
1992 Oct-Dec, UEA, 'Florentine Drawings' (no cat.)
2016-2017 15 Oct-15 Jan, Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans, Fra Bartolomeo
- Acquisition date
- 1895
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1895,0915.531