Circle of Michelangelo Buonarroti (Caprese 1475 – Rome 1564)
Study of a Male Figure Leaning Forward. Red chalk on laid paper, with watermark ‘GG’ within a cartouche. 16th century, circa 1550.
Sight: 12 × 18 cm | Frame: 29 × 36.5 cm
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This finely rendered red chalk drawing depicts a clothed male figure leaning forward, the muscles of the legs and torso described with a sculptor’s understanding of form and movement. The pose closely corresponds to one of the figures in Michelangelo’s Last Judgement (1536-1541), frescoed on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. In that composition, a similarly draped figure bends forward from a cloud, extending his arm to assist a soul ascending towards salvation.
This drawing exemplifies Michelangelo's High Renaissance fascination with anatomical expression and dynamic poise. The choice of red chalk, Michelangelo’s preferred medium for figure studies, and the assured modelling suggest an artist working within his immediate circle, perhaps a follower or studio draughtsman in Rome during the mid-16th century.
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We note two likely related sketches in the same hand which sold at Swan Fine Art 3 Jun 2025 lot 199 and, ibid, 25th Feb 2025 lot 533, the former with an undisclosed price (somewhere circa £6,000), the latter realising £10,000 (approx.), both sketches also relate to the group of figures in the immediate vicinity of this sketch's pose in The Last Judgement, both sketches also being circa 1550.
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Condition:
Sheet lightly toned; small handling marks and minor surface rubbing consistent with age; otherwise very good condition. Presented in a double mount and 20th century frame.
