Orientale im Mantel, nach rechts gewandt by Gentile Bellini

Orientale im Mantel, nach rechts gewandt c. 1470 - 1480

drawing, pencil

portrait

drawing

figuration

11_renaissance

pencil drawing

pencil

12_15th-century

This drawing, “Orientale im Mantel, nach rechts gewandt,” by Gentile Bellini, depicts a man in a long coat standing with one hand resting on his hip. The man’s traditional attire indicates his Eastern origin. The drawing is a preparatory study, likely for a larger painting. It exemplifies Bellini’s meticulous attention to detail and the mastery of the Italian Renaissance. The drawing is housed in the Städel Museum and offers a glimpse into the artistic exploration of the East in the 15th century.

Comments

stadelmuseum over 1 year ago

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The drawings Obj. Nos. 3956 Z und 3957 Z belong to a group of drawings showing figures in oriental garb, traceable back to a journey Gentile Bellini made to the court of Sultan Mohammed II in Constantinople. These two sheets were carried out by members of his workshop after his return. The aim of the depictions was to replicate the exotic figures as faithfully as possible. Rendered exclusively in pen and ink, the subjects are precisely outlined, the interior details executed with parallel and cross-hatching. Despite the interior modelling, however, they have an oddly rigid appearance and give the impression of having been copied.