Head of a Youth in Profile (recto); Study of a Seated Figure (verso) 1515 - 1535

This is Giovanni Antonio Sogliani’s Head of a Youth in Profile, a drawing in black chalk made in Florence, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. It’s a preparatory sketch, probably for a larger painting. But consider the role of drawings like this within the artistic culture of the time. Florence was a Republic, but dominated by powerful families, such as the Medici, who were patrons of the arts. They established formal institutions for art education, such as the Academy of Art and Design, founded in 1563. Before then, artists' workshops were the centers of artistic training. Drawings like this were produced and collected within those workshops. The youth depicted here has a classical profile, reminiscent of ancient Greek sculpture. This reflects the Renaissance interest in classical art and culture. The drawing is a study of form and anatomy, and it demonstrates Sogliani's skill as a draughtsman. Art historians look to surviving drawings to understand the artistic processes of the past. We use them to trace the networks of artistic influence and the social conditions that shape artistic production.