Standing Youth Seen from Behind Holding a Bowl (Ganymede?)
Traditionally identified as a study for the figure of Ganymede – the beautiful youth abducted by Zeus – this drawing has since been titled "Standing Boy (or Youth) Holding a Bowl," as neither a Ganymede nor this particular youthful figure can be found in any of Guercino's extant works (Bean 1964b, no. 31).
Jacob Bean (1967, no. 46, p. 40) dated the drawing to the artist's middle period, the 1630s and 1640s, because its "subtle contrasts of light and shade so successfully indicate the modeling of back and head..." Bean thought the free application of red chalk to differ from the more polished red chalk figure drawings of Guercino's done in the 1650s. The general and dynamic contrast of flesh areas smoothly stumped and draperies quickly sketched is typical of Guercino's drawings of the 1630s to 1640s. In this drawing, the outlines of the crown of the head have been somewhat erased or rubbed out. This drawing evidently belongs in the 1640s, as Julian Brooks noted in connection to the Bathsheba and her Maid drawing (Coll. Mr. and Mrs. Edward D. Baker) for a documented, now lost painting of 1640 (Brooks 2006, no. 28, p. 83.)
Jacob Bean (1967, no. 46, p. 40) dated the drawing to the artist's middle period, the 1630s and 1640s, because its "subtle contrasts of light and shade so successfully indicate the modeling of back and head..." Bean thought the free application of red chalk to differ from the more polished red chalk figure drawings of Guercino's done in the 1650s. The general and dynamic contrast of flesh areas smoothly stumped and draperies quickly sketched is typical of Guercino's drawings of the 1630s to 1640s. In this drawing, the outlines of the crown of the head have been somewhat erased or rubbed out. This drawing evidently belongs in the 1640s, as Julian Brooks noted in connection to the Bathsheba and her Maid drawing (Coll. Mr. and Mrs. Edward D. Baker) for a documented, now lost painting of 1640 (Brooks 2006, no. 28, p. 83.)
Artwork Details
- Title: Standing Youth Seen from Behind Holding a Bowl (Ganymede?)
- Artist: Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) (Italian, Cento 1591–1666 Bologna)
- Date: ca. 1635–45
- Medium: Red chalk
- Dimensions: Sheet: 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (26.7 x 19.1 cm).
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1963
- Object Number: 63.75.2
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.