Home Online catalogues Studi & Schizzi 24. Attributed to Giovanni Ambrogio Figino Milano 1548 – 1608 Milano Study of the Leg of a Man Acquired as the work of an anonymous Italian artist, this sheet is related to examples of the graphic work of Giovanni Ambrogio Figino. This prolific Milanese draughtsman explored the human body, drawing from live models as well as from the great masters of the Renaissance (Michelangelo, Raphael) and Antiquity. While he often filled pages with innumerable sketches, almost to the point of obsession, he was also able to concentrate on the finer details of the limbs and body parts, for which he favoured the use of blue paper and black chalk, with highlights in biacca (white bodycolour) applied delicately with the tip of a brush. This drawing of a man’s leg is executed with great care, and its classical ideal of form and purity of modelling suggest that it may have been based on an antique sculpture and was not preparatory for a painting.
Acquired as the work of an anonymous Italian artist, this sheet is related to examples of the graphic work of Giovanni Ambrogio Figino. This prolific Milanese draughtsman explored the human body, drawing from live models as well as from the great masters of the Renaissance (Michelangelo, Raphael) and Antiquity. While he often filled pages with innumerable sketches, almost to the point of obsession, he was also able to concentrate on the finer details of the limbs and body parts, for which he favoured the use of blue paper and black chalk, with highlights in biacca (white bodycolour) applied delicately with the tip of a brush. This drawing of a man’s leg is executed with great care, and its classical ideal of form and purity of modelling suggest that it may have been based on an antique sculpture and was not preparatory for a painting.