Accession Number2009/1.501
TitleKneeling Shepherd
Artist(s)Luca GiordanoArtist NationalityItalian (culture or style)Object Creation Date2nd half of 17th centuryMedium & Supportgraphite and ink on laid paperDimensions 14 in x 18 in (35.56 cm x 45.72 cm);6 in x 5 5/8 in (15.24 cm x 14.29 cm)
Credit LineJoseph F. McCrindle CollectionLabel copyGallery Rotation Winter 2013
Attributed to
Luca Giordano
Italy, 1634–1705
Kneeling Shepherd
1650–1700
Graphite and pen and ink
Gift of the Joseph F. McCrindle Collection, 2009/1.501
In old master art, drawings and sketches provided an opportunity for experimentation. The quick, fluid, and dark lines used to articulate the forms and setting in A Group of Peasants Eating emphasize the horizontal thrust of the composition and imply movement in the figures. In Kneeling Shepherd the dark and deliberate line of the drawing that defines the forms of the figure and recumbent lamb traces over what was loosely sketched in graphite. Increasingly in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Italy, simple scenes such as these, inspired by everyday life, would have been incorporated into larger religious paintings, adding a rustic genre appeal. The context of a religious image also elevated the status of such humble subjects.
Subject matterThis quick sketch, consisting of rapid pen strokes on top of lightly drawn graphite lines, suggests that this was a quickly observed scene that the artist wished to quickly capture for future use, perhaps in an Adoration of the Shepherds or Nativity scene.
Physical DescriptionA man in humble attire, shown in three-quarter view, is seen kneeling at the left side of the image; his hands are clasped in front of him in prayer. At the lower right is a sleeping lamb nestled into a schematically rendered background.
Primary Object Classification Drawing Primary Object Typethumbnail sketchCollection AreaWesternRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
kneeling
lambs
shepherds
sketches