Zeichner
Francisco de Zurbarán, ehemals zugeschrieben
Nach links gewendeter Mann, ein Buch lesend, Frühes 17. Jahrhundert
Similar in format (three-quarter length) and in pose (strict profile) to the Standing Figure Seen in Profile Raising his Right Hand in Blessing (inv. no. 38638, cat. no. 180), the artist shows this figure (possibly from the same model) holding a book, as though he were an Evangelist or one of the apostles that employed this attribute. Once again the primary purpose of the drawing is to study the voluminous form of the tunic and the folds in the cloak draped over the models shoulder. As in all the drawings in this group of ten sheets, the light falls from the upper left. Here, the artist has taken the trouble to draw the shadow of the models thumb and index finger as they rest on the open book, lending a realistic note. Alfonso Pérez Sánchez comments in the Madrid catalogue of 1980 and in the Corpus volume[1] (the text of which is almost identical, although there are errors in the English translation) that there is another head in a similar position, very lightly drawn, in the upper right corner, but this is not visible.
Gabriele Finaldi
1. Pérez Sánchez (dir.) 1980 and Angulo Íniguez and Pérez Sánchez 1985, respectively.