Francisco de Herrera, d. J. ("El Mozo"), Zeichner
Edelmann in einer Landschaft, vor 1660
This preliminary drawing in black pencil reveals how the artist searched for the correct pose, especially in the area of the figure's legs, until he finally hit upon the elegant solution typical of Francisco de Herrera the Younger and fixed it with his pen.[1] The depth of the landscape is suggested with only a few lines, and the wash, applied in a manner similar to that of The Temptation of Saint Anthony (inv. no. 38590, cat. no. 90), clearly establishes the shaded areas. Its fine and light lines, elongated and twisting on the figure's neck ruff, closely resemble those of The Holy Family (inv. no. 38474, cat. no. 97), a drawing attributed to Herrera the Younger by Jonathan Brown, who also mentions the figure's pupils as typical of that artist.
The Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid preserves a drawing of a warrior that is clearly the work of the same hand, as evidenced by its lines, the rendering of the eyes in a similarly frontal visage, and a similar use of wash.[2] A third figure, with a similar costume, staff, and head covering, and viewed from below, though pictured in a wholly different pose, is seen in Herrera's painting Jesus Sentenced to Death at the Museo Cerralbo in Madrid,[3] which is dated to 1660–80. This sheet was possibly produced while the artist was still in Seville, before 1660 and within the ambit of the Academy.
Jens Hoffmann-Samland
1 See, for example, the figure of Ferdinand III (reversed) in the drawing The Surrender of Seville to Ferdinand III, King of Castile and Leon, ca. 1671, Paris, Musée du Louvre, inv. no. 18422.
2 There, the Decorative Warrior, 10 x 6 1/2 in. (254 x 164 mm), is attributed with some misgivings to Clemente Fernández de Torres, but it perfectly matches the drawing technique of Herrera the Younger; Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional de España, inv. no. DIB/15/3/11.
3 Jesus Sentenced to Death, (304 x 342 cm), Herrera the Younger with the collaboration of Francisco Ignacio Ruiz de la Iglesia (1649–1704), Madrid, Museo Cerralbo, inv. no. 05113.
Details about this work
Beschriftung fremd: Auf dem Verso in der Mitte nummeriert: "117" (Bleistift, unterstrichen)
[José Atanasio Echeverría]; Julian Benjamin Williams, Seville (d. 1866); John Wetherell (?) (d. 1865); Horatio/Nathan Wetherell (?) (until 1874); Frederick William Cosens, London (from 1874 to 1890); Sotheby's, London, auction of the property of Frederick William Cosens (from November 11 to 21, 1890); Bernard Quaritch Ltd., London (from November 1890 to July 1891); acquired by the Hamburger Kunsthalle (July 14, 1891).
Tre siglos de dibujo sevillano, Alfonso Emilio Pérez Sánchez; Hospital de los Venerables, 1995, S. 180, Abb.-Nr. , Kat.-Nr. 73
Pen Drawings by Herrera the Younger, Jonathan Brown; Herausgeber: Robert Enggass, Marilyn Stokstad, 1974, S. 133, Abb.-Nr.
The Spanish Gesture. Drawings from Murillo to Goya in the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Jens Hoffmann-Samland, with contributions by María Cruz de Carlos Varona, Gabriele Finaldi, José Manuel Matilla u. a., 2014, S. 124-125, Abb., 217, Abb.-Nr. , Kat.-Nr. 91
The Spanish Gesture: Drawings from Murillo to Goya in the Kunsthalle. Hamburg, Jens Hoffmann-Samland, 2014, S. 6-10, Abb., Abb.-Nr.
Herrera el Mozo y el Barroco total, Herausgeber: Benito Navarrete Prieto, 2023, Abb. S. 228, Abb.-Nr. , Kat.-Nr. 45