Group of four armed men and a boy beside a trunk and some jars 1684 - 1736

Domenico Brandi made this drawing of four armed men and a boy with pen and brown ink and grey wash in the early 18th century. The image presents a cluster of figures that seem to be guarding a trunk and some jars. The artist's choice of subject matter and the medium itself, can tell us a lot about artistic production at the time. Brandi was working at a time when the academies were becoming the established place for artists to learn their craft, and drawing was the foundation of academic practice. This study may have been made in preparation for a larger painting, or simply as an exercise in capturing figures in motion. The subject matter seems to be drawn from everyday life. Perhaps this drawing reflects the growing interest in depicting scenes of ordinary people, which we see developing across Europe in this period. To really understand this work, we might look at the artist’s biography, the patronage system in Naples at the time, and other works by Brandi, including paintings, to get a more complete picture. This will help us understand the social and cultural forces that shaped its creation.