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Seated Nude with Drapery

Unknown

1578

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Nude

Dominant colour

Seated Nude with Drapery is a 1578 ink by Unknown, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1578 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows a seated person with one leg bent and the other dangling, wrapped in loose, flowing cloth. The paper is a warm brown, and the lines are rough but confident, with white highlights on the skin and folds of fabric. The background is mostly blank, letting the figure stand out. The artist used quick, sketchy strokes—almost like a first draft—to capture the pose and drapery. The white highlights stand out against the brown wash, making the figure pop. Next, look up Renaissance to see how this style fits into that era’s art.