Standing Figure in a Niche and Studies for the Ugolino Group (recto); Red-Robed Prelate in a Crowd (verso) 1857 - 1858

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's "Standing Figure in a Niche and Studies for the Ugolino Group (recto); Red-Robed Prelate in a Crowd (verso)" is a preparatory drawing created between 1857 and 1858. This drawing consists of four studies in black chalk on blue paper. The recto depicts a series of studies for a sculpture known as the "Ugolino Group," depicting the Italian poet Dante's vision of the condemned sinner Ugolino and his children who died of starvation in the Tower of Hunger. The verso features a sketch of a red-robed prelate standing in a crowd of people. The study highlights Carpeaux's masterful use of line and composition to capture the expressive power of the human form and the dramatic nature of his subject matter. These studies demonstrate Carpeaux's artistic process and his commitment to the detailed representation of the human form in his sculptures.