Study of a Sculpture of a Goddess
attributed to Andrea Sabatini, Italian, about 1484 - 1530
early 16th century
Pen, ink and wash on laid paper
Sheet: 10 5/8 × 6 7/8 in. (27 × 17.5 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Julia L. Whittier Fund
D.947.33
Geography
Place Made: Italy, Europe
Period
1400-1600
Object Name
Drawing
Research Area
Drawing
Not on view
Inscriptions
Not signed.
Label
Collectors in the 16th century eagerly amassed examples of contemporary and ancient sculpture, which were displayed together in palaces, libraries, and other spaces in the home. Viewers could admire such sculptures not only for their connection to the glorious Roman past but also for their beauty. Ancient sculptures were important sources of artistic inspiration, offering models of graceful positions and balanced proportions. In this sketch, the artist focuses on the drapery of the ancient sculpture, focusing on how the cloth pulls across the body and cascades through the air. Such drawings were key to an artist’s development. In addition to traveling to Rome to sketch ancient sculptures, artists themselves collected antique objects as sources of study.
From the 2024 exhibition Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, curated by Elizabeth Rice Mattison, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art, and Ashley B. Offill, Curator of Collections
Course History
HIST 43.02, European Intellectual and Cultural History 1400-1800, Darrin McMahon, Fall 2019
ARTH 27.02, Living Stone: Sculpture in Early Modern Italy, Elizabeth Kassler-Taub, Winter 2022
HIST 43.02, European Intellectual History 1400-1800, Darrin McMahon, Fall 2022
History 42.01, Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies 22.01, Gender & European Society, Patrick Meehan, Spring 2024
History 96.39, Saints and Relics, Cecilia Gaposchkin, Spring 2024
Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Noemi Perego, Spring 2024
Italian 11.01, Intensive Italian, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Tania Convertini, Spring 2024
Italian 3.02, Introductory Italian III, Giorgio Alberti, Spring 2024
Exhibition History
16th Century Italian Graphics (Art 41), Lower Jewett Corridor, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 30-June 3, 1979.
Antiquity in Rome from the Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment: Selections from Dartmouth's Collections, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 7-September 9, 2001.
Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, Citrin Family Gallery and Engles Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 23, 2024–March 22, 2025.
Publication History
T. Barton Thurber and Adrian W.B. Randolph, Antiquity in Rome from the Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment: Selections from Dartmouth's Collections, Hanover, New Hampshire: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2001, listed p.72.
Provenance
Curtis Hidden Page (1870-1946) purchased in Germany, 1920'-1930's; to the Estate of Curtis Hidden Page (1870-1946), Hanover, New Hamsphire, sold to the Department of Art and Archaeology, Dartmouth College, 1947.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu