Sketches of the Emperor John VIII Palaeologus, a Monk, and a Scabbard
1438
Medium
Pen and brown ink on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
18.9 × 26.5 cm (7 1/2 × 10 7/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
113568
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Drawings of diversity and importance adorn both sides of this sheet, universally recognized as the work of Pisanello. The verso depicts a carefully drawn Turkish-style quiver with arrows and a bowcase with a bow and arrow. The recto contains two distinctly different subjects and styles: at the top, in the verso’s precise pen style, is an ornamented scabbard; below it, more hastily sketched in pen and brown ink, are a mounted rider in hunting attire and three standing men wearing unusual hats. A...
About the Artist
Pisanello · 1395–1455
Antonio di Puccio Pisano, known as Pisanello (c. 1395–1455), was a pioneering Italian painter, draftsman, and medalist born in Pisa, though he spent his early years near Verona. His early training occurred in Verona under local painters, possibly Stefano da Verona or Altichiero, fostering a style rooted in Veronese traditions. Between 1415 and 1420, he served as assistant to Gentile da Fabriano, a...