Amnon and Tamar

Guercino

1649

chalk

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque

About this work

This sketch shows two figures tangled in a robe. One person’s arm is around the other’s waist, while the second figure’s head leans back, hair loose and wild. The lines are quick and rough, with no color—just warm browns from the red chalk. Their bodies twist together, but the faces stay blurred and sketchy. The artist left big gaps in the details, like the robe’s folds are just swirls of lines. This wasn’t meant to be finished—it’s a study, not a polished painting. Next, check out Baroque to see how artists like this used movement and drama in their work.