Study for a Virgin and Child with Two Angels (recto); Two Studies of Hands (verso) 1544 - 1597

Curator: This drawing, rendered in chalk, dates back to sometime between 1544 and 1597. We believe the Italian artist Poppi, or Francesco Morandini, created it as a Study for a Virgin and Child with Two Angels. It's currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It’s captivating! There's an undercurrent of seriousness. It almost looks as if the drawing has been laid over a mathematical grid, as if faith were to be expressed through strict construction and geometric precision. Curator: The grid is fascinating; it shows how he worked meticulously. Artists in this period were increasingly interested in math to render proper proportions and create spatial relations. That might well point to a conscious attempt to portray divinity through mathematical perfection, as you suggest. The hands might reveal clues to the human. Editor: Look at the hands, so expressively rendered. We could be seeing the preparation for a traditional "Madonna and Child" but the raw emotion is quite gripping. It seems Poppi sought a direct route to devotion, where these archetypal figures become intimate portraits. Curator: These figures appear throughout Renaissance art as icons of divinity and motherhood, respectively. But there is more going on than just the iconic. Notice that it’s a study; meaning it’s likely he was practicing his craft, learning to represent ideals of beauty with more fidelity to how light falls, and so on. Editor: I think so. The loose strokes bring such palpable life, as though Mary isn’t just a static symbol but a living woman, whose relationship to the Christ child – who can become any child, being playfully cared for by angels – takes center stage. Curator: The grid and careful hands offer clues to the broader history of artistic training at this moment. Yet you make a convincing argument, that Poppi goes past just the formal and moves towards something intensely human and deeply personal in the expressions he captured. Editor: Ultimately, "Study for a Virgin and Child with Two Angels" beautifully captures the Renaissance spirit that ties meticulous observation to intense artistic expressiveness.