Standing male nude facing front, with left hand leaning on a stone block
Ca. 1861. Conté crayon, White chalk.Not on display
Executed as an exercise in anatomy, this drawing dates from the end of the painter’s formative period in Rome and displays the firm, well-defined strokes of a more mature artist. The light, artificially dramatised, shapes the carefully moulded physique of the model, who has been identified as Arlecchino, the nickname given to Filippo Cuggini for his ability to reproduce puppet-like gestures when posing.
