ANDREA DEL SARTO
(b. 1486, Firenze, d. 1530, Firenze)

Study for the Baptism of the People

c. 1515
Red chalk, 314 x 186 mm
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

This remarkable drawing, executed in preparation for the mural of the Baptism of the People in the Chiostro dello Scalzo in Florence, is a figure study for the St John the Baptist. In the drawing, presumably made directly from a model, the Baptist is nude, while in the painting he is partially covered with heavy drapery.