GIOVANNI ANGELO CANINI (1617-66)
A male nude seen from below
c.1660RCIN 991228
Though he was an undistinguished painter, Canini was a fine draughtsman and his drawings were esteemed in their day, as suggested by the elegant (effaced) inscription of an early collector on this sheet. The figure is seen in daring fore-shortening, as if standing on a ledge high above the viewer. This was probably an exercise rather than a study for a painting.
No. 138