Vier studies van een hand 1626 - 1686

Carlo Dolci made these four studies of a hand with chalk on grey paper in seventeenth-century Florence. As an important center for artistic patronage, Florence shaped artists through the powerful influence of institutions like the Medici court and the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. Dolci was a devout Catholic, known for his refined, devotional paintings. His focus on hands here, rendered with soft gradations of light and shadow, speaks to the cultural emphasis on gesture and expression that pervaded both religious and secular life in Baroque Italy. The hand was not only a tool for labor, but also a crucial instrument in the elaborate rituals of courtly life and Catholic worship. Art historians often consult surviving drawings and sketchbooks to understand an artist's working method. Looking closely at these studies, we can better appreciate the cultural and institutional forces that shaped Dolci’s vision.