Three Male Nudes

Three Male Nudes

Domenico Beccafumi, c. 1540–47

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Artist: Domenico Beccafumi (Italian, 1484–1551)
Medium: Black chalk or charcoal with brush and black chalk or charcoal wash, heightened with white gouache; incised
Size: Sheet: 23.2 x 41.7 cm (9 1/8 x 16 7/16 in.); Secondary Support: 23.2 x 41.9 cm (9 1/8 x 16 1/2 in.); Tertiary Support: 24.8 x 42.7 cm (9 3/4 x 16 13/16 in.)
Culture: Italy
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Domenico Beccafumi was intensely aware of the work of his contemporary Michelangelo when he developed his own style for projects in Siena, south of Florence. This drawing is a study for a chiaroscuro print, a type of woodblock print using several blocks, some colored, to create light and shadow. The drawing features three male nudes whose roles are unknown. The closest figure, reclining with his back toward the viewer, recalls ancient sculptures of river gods as well as works by Michelangelo, including the reclining figures he sculpted for the Medici tombs in Florence.

More by Domenico Beccafumi

Madonna and child with infant John the Baptist

Madonna and child with infant John the Baptist

Domenico Beccafumi, 1542

Saint Ignatius of Antioch Disemboweled by Trajan's Torturers

Saint Ignatius of Antioch Disemboweled by Trajan's Torturers

Domenico Beccafumi, 1520–1530

Head of a Youth

Head of a Youth

Domenico Beccafumi, about 1530

The Holy Family with Angels

The Holy Family with Angels

Domenico Beccafumi, c. 1545/1550

St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata

St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata

Domenico Beccafumi, 1537

St. Anthony and the Miracle of the Mule

St. Anthony and the Miracle of the Mule

Domenico Beccafumi, 1537

Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Domenico Beccafumi, c. 1510

The Miraculous Communion of Saint Catherine of Siena

The Miraculous Communion of Saint Catherine of Siena

Domenico Beccafumi, about 1513–1515

Two Male Nudes Gesturing in a Landscape

Two Male Nudes Gesturing in a Landscape

Domenico Beccafumi, c. 1537

The Adoration of the Shepherds

The Adoration of the Shepherds

Domenico Beccafumi

Scenes from the Life of Saint Lucia

Scenes from the Life of Saint Lucia

Domenico Beccafumi, 1520

Saint Catherine Receiving the Stigmata

Saint Catherine Receiving the Stigmata

Domenico Beccafumi, 1545

Visually similar

Study of a Seated Young Man

Study of a Seated Young Man

Guercino, about 1619

Seated Man Turned Towards the Left Seen from Below

Seated Man Turned Towards the Left Seen from Below

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1696–1770

Waiting

Edgar Degas, c. 1879

Diana and Eolus

Diana and Eolus

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 18th century

Jupiter and Antiope: the smaller plate

Jupiter and Antiope: the smaller plate

Rembrandt, 1631

Sleeping Male Nude, perhaps for the Drunkenness of Noah

Sleeping Male Nude, perhaps for the Drunkenness of Noah

Paris Bordone, c. 1550

Night

Charles Le Brun, about 1635–1642

River God (recto); Sketches of Two Male Heads (verso)

River God (recto); Sketches of Two Male Heads (verso)

Sébastien Bourdon, n.d.

The Coiffure

Mary Cassatt, c. 1891

The Lovers

Jean-François Millet, 1846/50

A Man and a Woman Embracing

A Man and a Woman Embracing

Nicolai Abildgaard, 1798-1801

To studier af en liggende, nøgen mandsfigur. Kristus

To studier af en liggende, nøgen mandsfigur. Kristus

Guercino, 1617-1618