1605
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
A Partially Skinned Rat is a 1605 chalk by Italian 16th/17th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a small, twisted animal lying on its side. Its fur is rough and patchy, and its skin looks partly peeled away. The drawing is made with two shades of red chalk, giving it a warm, earthy tone. The artist focused on the animal’s texture, using quick, uneven lines to show its fur and exposed skin. This kind of sketch was often used to study form before painting. Next, look up technique: chiaroscuro to see how light and shadow create depth.
This Italian artist from the late 1500s to early 1600s drew with chalk on paper. Their surviving sheet, *A Partially Skinned Rat*, shows two shades of red chalk with traces of black, a precise study of the animal’s form…
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