Reclining Female Nude 1571 - 1600

Domenico Tintoretto made this drawing of a reclining female nude, likely in Venice, using chalk on paper in the late 16th or early 17th century. The image embodies the aesthetic interests of its time. In a moment when the Catholic Church was attempting to reassert its authority, artists like Tintoretto often relied on classical imagery as an expression of power. This drawing would probably have been made in the studio, and used as a reference for the creation of a history painting. As such, the drawing is part of a larger workshop process within the economy of artmaking. Art historians turn to a wide range of archival sources for information about this process. By looking at inventories, auction catalogs, and artists’ biographies, we can learn more about the ways that drawings functioned within the early modern art world.