CORTONA, Pietro da
(b. 1596, Cortona, d. 1669, Roma)

Study for the Age of Gold

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Pen, ink, red chalk on white paper, 420 x 280 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

This drawing shows one of the last stages of the artist's preparation for the large fresco cycle in the Palazzo Pitti's Stanza della Stufa. It would merely show the proportions and placement of figures and other elements that would be more thoroughly drafted on other sheets. This composition displays the airy weightlessness of the final work.