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Study for the Head of Saint Joseph (recto); Two Studies of Legs (verso) Gm-34536801

Andrea del Sarto (Italian, 1486–1530) This large and impressive sheet was made by Andrea as a study for the sleeping Saint Joseph in the private devotional painting, the Bracci Holy Family, now in the Galleria Palatina, Florence and commonly known after the name of its patron, Zanobi di Giovambattista Bracci (1488–after 1531). In this deeply naturalistic study drawing, which is rendered on a similar scale to the figure in the painting, Andrea characteristically disregarded the lower part of the face, as it would be obscured when Joseph rested on his left arm. Andrea focused instead on the fall of light on the face and—most spectacularly—on the shadows cast within the vivid gray hair, rendered so realistically in the painting as a result of this drawing. Much of the black-chalk work is tied into effects of stumping, with the stump (a rolled piece of leather sharpened to a point) used to create patches of shadow that are then reworked with further strokes of chalk. Blank reserves of paper are skillfully left as highlights and firmer black-chalk lines create accented shadows. A brief subsidiary study lower on the page explores the possibility of raising Joseph’s head slightly and showing him awake. A further small-scale sketch in the bottom right corner studies the detail of a flower, although no flowers are present in the painting. On the verso of the sheet are two red-chalk sketches of legs, not securely connectable to any surviving work. The scale and power of this drawing is matched by its illustrious provenance. The first owner of the drawing, as evidenced by the characteristic inscribed mount on which it is laid, was none other than the artist and writer Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), himself a pupil of Andrea del Sarto. Vasari is now often characterized as the “father of art history” for his published artist-biographies, and as an painter he was a key figure in sixteenth-century Medici Florence.

We make each of our prints one at a time—just for you.

Our Giclée Prints are printed here in Switzerland, one at a time, on heavy matte German art paper using the finest 12-color Canon archival inks. Some images are panoramic or tall and narrow—please select the 18" x 36" format for these.

Our Premium Museum Frame in Black is custom-made in Lugano, Switzerland, using natural wood moulding in a matte black satin finish. Each includes thick, hand-cut white mat boards and Plexiglass glazing. We tailor and print each image to fit its specific ratio and dimensions within our custom-made frames. The hand-cut mats are extra thick. Each bespoke museum frame ships in a custom box. Rush shipping is available for projects with tight deadlines—this is our specialty, and you will not be disappointed.

Our Antiqued Museum Frame in Gold is a high-quality frame made of solid wood, featuring traditional 19th-century cast plaster moulded details and closed corners. These frames are works of art in themselves, each with a unique patina. The hand-rubbed corners and gold finish evoke the elegance of times past. Your selected image is printed on German art paper with archival inks and mounted to quality art board within the frame. Plexiglass is added for print protection and the back is covered with Kraft paper and a hanger is supplied ready to hang..

Our Stretched Canvas prints are hand-stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed with archival inks on a cotton-poly matte finish canvas. These are best-in-industry Swiss-quality canvases, hand-coated for UV protection.

Wall Murals are printed on a matte-finish, self-adhesive poly/fabric material that mounts easily and is ideal for smooth wall surfaces.

Our Note Cards are amazing—each is printed individually on 100% cotton art paper, comes with a kraft envelope, and is individually sleeved. (Image is scaled to fit the format.)

All of our images are digitized from the original negative or print and printed by our master printer to museum standards.

Questions? Please email service@archivea.com or call/text +41 79 265 8891.

Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.

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