A reclining nude pierced by an arrow, a study for a Saint Sebastian

Pietro Faccini was a Bolognese painter, draftsman and printmaker, who only began to paint at the age of 30 and produced about a dozen works between 1590 and 1602. He trained at the Carracci Academy in Bologna before opening his own school in 1594 and his style remained close to that of the Carracci, though less formal and with a lively use of color.

We are grateful to Prof. Mario di Giampaolo for confirming the attribution to Faccini (written communication, 10 May 2004). Prof. de Giampaolo relates the work to other drawings of nudes in the Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin and the Uffizi, Florence.