Academic Study of a Male Nude with Staff, Florentine School circa 1800

Charcoal and white chalk on cotton paper prepared with tempera.
Drawing dimensions: 58.8 × 44.5 cm
With 19th century frame: 73.5 × 58.7 cm

Large Florentine academic study depicting a standing male nude holding a staff and partially covered by drapery. The work belongs to the tradition of academic drawing practiced in Tuscan academies between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, when the study of the live model formed the foundation of artistic training.

The figure is constructed with particular attention to balance, anatomical structure and the continuity of the modelling. The shadows, both dense and nuanced, give the body an almost sculptural presence. The profile head, with wavy hair and moustache, introduces a more individual and observed character than is often found in purely idealized academic exercises.

The support itself is of notable technical interest. The cotton paper was prepared with tempera before the execution of the drawing; the broad brushstrokes used to tone the surface remain visible and contribute to the visual richness of the sheet. This preparation enhances the depth of the chiaroscuro transitions and the luminosity of the white chalk highlights.

The drawing comes from an old group of sheets preserved in the Florentine area, including anatomical studies, notes and architectural drawings, connected to a family close to Florence’s artistic and intellectual circles.

Presented in a 19th century black ebonized wooden frame.
Good overall condition.