Study of a Seated Mannequin with an Arrangement of Drapery, for a Figure of the Virgin

Study of a Seated Mannequin with an Arrangement of Drapery, for a Figure of the Virgin

Anonymous, North-Italian, probably Lombard, 15th century

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sheet by a northern Italian draftsman is an extremely rare, early example of a drapery design made with the use of a mannequin, as indicated by the figure’s simplified anatomy, rigid disposition, and clumped hands. In the fifteenth century, the sculptor and theorist Filarete advised artists seeking to render draperies in a natural way to take a small wooden figure with jointed limbs and dress it in real cloth, as if it were a living person. He added that if the linen did not fall as desired, it could be wetted with melted glue and allowed to harden. As this practice became widespread, artists also used clay slip to set the fabric in place. In the present drawing, the ample folds of cloth, built up in layers of black chalk, ink, wash, and white gouache, bear a sculptural heft. The inscription "Ave vergine" (Hail Virgin) reveals that the study was intended for a figure of the Virgin Mary in a scene of the Annunciation.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Study of a Seated Mannequin with an Arrangement of Drapery, for a Figure of the VirginStudy of a Seated Mannequin with an Arrangement of Drapery, for a Figure of the VirginStudy of a Seated Mannequin with an Arrangement of Drapery, for a Figure of the VirginStudy of a Seated Mannequin with an Arrangement of Drapery, for a Figure of the VirginStudy of a Seated Mannequin with an Arrangement of Drapery, for a Figure of the Virgin

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.