A Shepherd (Study for “Il Voto”) (recto); Woman Holding a Baby (Study for “Il Voto”) (verso)
c. 1883
Medium
Pastel, with wet brush (recto), and pastel (verso) on brown wove paper
Dimensions
69.5 × 42.3 cm (27 3/8 × 16 11/16 in.)
Classification
drawings (visual works)
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
257842
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Discover the intricate preparatory sketches of Francesco Paolo Michetti in *A Shepherd (Study forIl Voto”)* on the recto andWoman Holding a Baby (Study for “ Voto”)* on verso, created around 1883. This double-sided sheet captures humble, everyday figures likely destined for Michetti's monumental painting *Il Voto* (“The Vow”), a work evoking Italian rural life and devotion. At 69.5 × 42.3 cm, its generous scale allowed the artist to explore poses and expressions with immediacy. Michetti employed pastel on brown wove paper, a medium ideal for rapid studies that exploit the paper's warm tone fo...