Saint Francis of Assisi Adoring the Virgin and Child
Denys Calvaert
1607
Medium
Black chalk on blue laid paper
Dimensions
52.1 × 31.2 cm (20 9/16 × 12 5/16 in.)
Classification
chalk
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
149022
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This monumental drawing shows Denys Calvaert’s nearly final conception for an altarpiece. The artist made a few intriguing changes before completing the painting. He replaced a child in the lower left of the drawing with an older saint figure, covered the Christ Child’s genitalia, and shifted Saint Francis’s head toward the center of the composition.