The Handing Over of the Pandects by Raphael

The Handing Over of the Pandects c. 1511 - 1512

drawing, ink, indian-ink, chalk

drawing

high-renaissance

toned paper

light pencil work

pencil sketch

ink

pencil drawing

ink drawing experimentation

coffee painting

underpainting

indian-ink

13_16th-century

chalk

portrait drawing

watercolour illustration

watercolor

"The Handing Over of the Pandects", a drawing by Raphael, depicts a group of figures gathered around a seated figure, possibly Justinian, the Byzantine Emperor. The drawing shows several figures interacting around a figure, likely the subject of a larger painting. This preparatory drawing is a characteristic example of Raphael's masterful draughtsmanship, completed between 1511 and 1512. The drawing utilizes the medium of red chalk on paper and is housed in the Städel Museum. Raphael, considered a high Renaissance master, utilized drawings as a method for studying and planning his compositions before transferring them to the final artwork.

Comments

stadelmuseum over 1 year ago

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In the Vatican's Stanza della Segnatura, opposite to the fresco of the Parnassus, Justice is depicted. To the left of the window we see the historical presentation of the codified Roman civil law (the Pandects) to Emperor Justinian. The brush-and-ink drawing which establishes how the light is to be distributed is very lively in quality, even in its sketchier passages. The pen-and-ink drawing on the back, related to a composition of the Resurrection of Christ, is a workshop copy.