The Adoration of the Magi, ca. 1511
Red chalk
14 7/16 x 12 3/16 in. (36.6 x 30.9 cm)
Galleria degli Uffizi, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Florence
Courtesy the Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo
In the foreground, the three Magi and their attendants pay respect to the Virgin and Child, seated at right beneath the architectural structure. As emphasized by the stick figures drawn on the mountain, the purpose of this sheet was to establish the placement of figures and objects in the landscape. Despite the looseness of the drawing, which has not been connected to a painting, there is not a single pentimento. It may be a freehand copy after another composition.