Study of Figures behind a Balustrade, ca. 1522
Red chalk
6 7/8 x 7 7/8 in. (17.5 x 20 cm)
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Recto
Studying two draped male figures in separate frames and at slightly different scales, the artist may have produced this sheet (which features two similar figures on the verso) as an early design of the four Evangelists for an embroidered altar frontal (Museo Diocesano, Cortona). He explores poses engaged with the balustrade and experiments with bending limbs and twisting torsos. Andrea's sketch of the figure at right facing in several directions conveys an almost animated effect.