Italy / c. 1586
Studies of Hands (recto); Sketch of a Child's Head (verso)
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Studies of Hands (recto); Sketch of a Child's Head (verso) as drawing (Italy · c. 1586).
The inscription that identifies the artist in brown ink on this drawing is not a signature but rather an identification of the artist by a later hand, perhaps an owner of the drawing.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this drawing as charcoal (stumped in places) heightened with white chalk; black chalk with pen and brown ink and credits Carletto Caliari (Italian, 1570–1596).
The museum's collection notes: The talented second-born son of Italian Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese, Carletto Caliari assisted his father in the final years of the celebrated artist’s life. Successful Venetian painting studios were run as workshops, with staffs of trained apprentices working under a master’s supervision to simultaneously execute a multitude of commissions. Drawings such as this study of expressive hand gestures were used as reference materials to ensure stylistic consistency within the shop.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtStudies of Hands (recto); Sketch of a Child's Head (verso)Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.