Matthew the evangelist 

Francesco Vanni made this drawing of Matthew the Evangelist sometime in the late 16th or early 17th century. It’s a study, made with black chalk heightened with white, on laid paper. The lines are delicate, yet they convey the weight and texture of fabric, and the form of the sitter, without excess detail. Vanni was working in a period when the graphic arts were really coming into their own. Draftsmanship was prized, and the ability to create studies like this one, rapidly and expressively, was highly valued. We can imagine Vanni returning to this drawing again and again in his studio, alongside other drawings and paintings. These studies were a form of creative capital; they could be re-used, reworked, and sold on. The material and the making matter here; this is an artwork that testifies to a culture of production, and the crucial role of drawing in the visual arts of the period.