Studies of hands, feet and a head (recto); Study of a bearded man and a hand (verso)

This is a typical example of a study sheet by Volterrano in which several anatomical studies are arranged in juxtaposition on the same sheet, often including drapery or a section of an entire composition. This drawing can be compared to another showing the same foot (Sotheby’s, London, 3 July 1980, lot 38a). There are many altarpieces by the artist which depict a bare-footed saint in the foreground. The present sheet may be a preparatory study for the repoussoir figure on the left side of his Assumption of the Virgin (Firenze, Collection Giovanni Pratesi; see M. Gregori, et al., Volterrano. Baldassare Franceschini (1611-1690), Florence, 2013, no. 95c).