Viola da gamba-speler, en face 1645 - 1650

This red chalk drawing, created between 1645 and 1650 by Italian Baroque artist Pier Francesco Mola, depicts a musician playing a viola da gamba. The drawing, now housed in the Rijksmuseum, showcases Mola's masterful use of line and shading to capture the subject's form and the delicate nuances of the instrument. The piece, with its focus on a single figure and its loose, expressive style, embodies the characteristic features of a Baroque drawing, offering a glimpse into the artistic process of the period.