← Anonymous, Italian

Study after Caravaggio's 'The Cardsharps' with color notes

Original title: Study after Caravaggio's 'The Cardsharps' with color notes

Artist

Anonymous, Italian

Date

1600–1700

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash with white heightening

Dimensions

sheet: 5 7/8 x 6 7/8 in. (15 x 17.5 cm)

Credit line

Joseph F. McCrindle Collection, Bequest of Joseph F. McCrindle, 2008

kurzbeschreibung

A woman holds a pair of playing cards while a man looks up at her and another observer stands behind him. This is how an unknown Italian draughtsman of the 17th century varies Caravaggio's painting 'The Cardsharps'. The sheet is executed in pen and brown ink, with brown brush wash and white heightening. The gambling scene with its three figures follows the famous model in its essentials without slavishly repeating it.

Description

Three people emerge from the sheet. A woman leans over a table and holds two playing cards; opposite her sits a man, his gaze raised to her. A third, seen from behind, also turns toward the woman. Clothing and fabrics are worked out with fine lines and shading. Light enters from the left and emphasizes the figures and objects on that side. The background remains minimal, so that the group draws the eye. Brown and gray tones dominate the image, lightened by white heightening.

Context

Caravaggio's 'The Cardsharps' was created around 1595, and through reproductions the painting quickly became known. This 17th-century sheet belongs to that reception. Like many other artists, the anonymous draughtsman copied and altered the model in order to understand its naturalism and dramatic lighting. That a woman plays the central role here departs from the original with its two male cardsharps. Such studies served in workshops as exercises or as models for original works.

Impact

The figures are captured clearly and in detail, and a calm, collected mood lies over the gambling scene. Pen line and soft brush wash combine into a lively surface texture. The light from the left gives the composition depth and directs the gaze to the interplay of the figures.

Technique

Pen and brown ink form the basis, over which a wash with brown brush is laid, and white heightening sets accents. In this way both precise contours and soft tonal transitions can be achieved. At 15 x 17.5 cm the format remains small, which suggests careful and detailed work.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)