Study for the modeling stand of the Ugolino group 1840 - 1875

This sketch by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux is a study for his sculpture "Ugolino and His Sons." Ugolino, a tragic figure from Dante's Inferno, is depicted here with his children in the Tower of Hunger, awaiting their agonizing end. Note Ugolino’s clasped head. Observe the pose, how the father’s hands meet his head. The weight of despair manifest. The gesture of the hand supporting the head, common across time and culture. It appears in ancient Greek sculptures depicting grief and contemplation. Thinkers and poets, weighed down by worldly concerns. This motif transcends epochs, appearing in Renaissance paintings of melancholic Madonnas to modern portraits of existential angst. This recurring gesture speaks to a shared human experience of sorrow, loss, and the search for meaning in suffering, echoing across centuries. It's an emotionally potent symbol, engaging viewers on a subconscious level, stirring collective memories of human suffering and resilience. The anguished father resurfaces, transformed but recognizable, in each new telling.